Ebola: Nakuru enlists medics who worked in West Africa virus outbreak

By  Eric Matara

Correspondent

Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

• Already, Nakuru has designated Ebola isolation centres at the Langalanga and the Naivasha hospitals.
• Kenya has recorded a total of nine confirmed cases of Ebola virus disease, including two deaths.

The Nakuru County government has enlisted the services of health workers who helped in the fight against Ebola outbreak in West Africa between 2014 and 2015 and Covid-19, to help deal with any suspected cases in the Northern corridor.

At least eight urban centres in Nakuru along the Northern Corridor, have been identified by health authorities and experts as vulnerable transit hubs, that face an imminent threat of Ebola transmission in the region. 

The devolved unit has sought the help of the heroes and heroines, some who were part of the team that went to Liberia and Sierra Leone between 2014 and 2015 and participated in the fight against the Ebola outbreak that killed more than 11,000people in the West Africa region.  

"We have enlisted services of heroes and heroines who helped combat the Ebola virus in West Africa and those that handled Covid-19 in 2020, to help respond to any suspected cases in the region. Nakuru County has also strengthened its first line of defence against Ebola, by equipping healthcare workers in high-risk facilities with skills to identify and respond to suspected cases," Nakuru County Health Executive Stephen Kuria told the Daily Nation. 

"The frontline health workers have undergone a further training programme, capped by a practical simulation exercise at Langalanga and Naivasha Sub-County Hospitals. The training forms part of the Nakuru's ongoing efforts to strengthen early detection, safe patient handling and timely response, protecting healthcare workers and communities against potential disease outbreaks," added Mr Kuria.

According to Mr Kuria, the county is banking on lessons drawn from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the fight against Covid-19, to deal with strengthen preparedness to counter any Ebola case. 

Already, Nakuru has designated Ebola isolation centres at the Langalanga and the Naivasha hospitals.

The programme culminated in a simulation exercise conducted under the guidance of Ministry of Health trainers, taking participants through the entire response process, from community engagement, patient screening and safe handling to ambulance transportation, laboratory testing, use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), safe donning and doffing procedures, and the eventual discharge of a recovered patient. 

The exercise also incorporated patient reassurance and security considerations, before concluding with a feedback and debriefing session.

The county has partnered with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and Amref Health Africa in Kenya,equip frontline healthcare workers with essential knowledge in Ebola Virus Disease case management and infection prevention and control. 

Experts recently warned that should screening at the Kenya-Uganda border falter, the eight urban centres along the Northern Corridor, risk becoming Ebola outbreak hotspots. 

The places which serve as stop-overs for long distance truck drivers mainly from the Ebola epicentres include; Mai Mahiu, Longonot, Naivasha, Gilgil, Kikopey, Pipeline and Salgaa. Most of the centres fall on the busy Nairobi-Nakuru-Eldoret highway.  

Health authorities are now closely monitoring the centres where truck drivers from Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo make stopovers to rest. 

The Nairobi-Nakuru-Eldoret highway is part of the Northern Corridor and is the most important road to Western Kenya and the artery that connects Kenya and the landlocked countries of Uganda, Southern Sudan, Rwanda and Burundi. 

It also connects Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the epicentre of the Ebola outbreak. The road is used for transporting most of the West-bound cargo that originates from the Port of Mombasa as well as Nairobi. 

Kenya has recorded a total of nine confirmed cases of Ebola virus disease, including two deaths. The outbreak in Kenya began with an imported case reported on October 6, 2026, involving a man who traveled from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through Uganda to Nairobi, where he was hospitalized and died. 

All eight subsequent cases are secondary infections linked directly to relatives or healthcare workers who had close contact with the initial patient. 

The confirmed cases prompted a chain-reaction across the country, with several counties including Nakuru stepping up surveillance, re-opening isolation facilities and preparing health workers for possible cases. 

"In Nakuru we are on high alert because the county is particularly exposed because of its position as a transit area along the Northern Corridor. The truck drivers interact with residents at the stop-overs, including commercial sex workers," Mr Moses Obiero, the Nakuru County Public Health Emergency Operations Centre manager revealed. 

"We have also intensified community -level sensitization and activated our Rapid Response Teams," he said.

Nakuru is designated as one of the more than 22 high risk counties for Ebola, due to its critical role as a major transport corridor linked to the regional trade routes from the DRC and Uganda.

EMatara@ke.nationmedia.com

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