Kenya confirms first Ebola death as outbreak spreads

Health workers stand in a new Ebola treatment center during a visit of Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), in Bunia, in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, on May 31, 2026.. Credit: AFP

Kenya has confirmed its first Ebola case and death after a Kenyan national who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo for seven years died in Nairobi.

According to the BBC, Kenya’s Health Minister, Aden Duale, said the patient fell ill about a month ago and received treatment at several hospitals in the Democratic Republic of Congo before travelling to Kenya.

Duale said the patient travelled by road from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Kampala, Uganda, before boarding a flight to Nairobi on Saturday.

The patient underwent routine screening at Nairobi’s main airport before being taken to a hospital by a relative, the minister said.

After being admitted to Nairobi Hospital, the patient was transferred to an isolation facility built during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Duale said the patient developed “fever, chills, intense fatigue and weakness, painful swallowing, muscle pain and bleeding under the skin.”

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“Doctors suspected a viral haemorrhagic fever based on his symptoms and travel history and collected samples for testing. The sample tested positive for Ebola Bundibugyo virus,” he said.

He stated that the patient died at 11:30 pm on Monday, while his burial was scheduled for Tuesday in line with public health protocols.

Health authorities have identified at least 28 contacts, including family members and healthcare workers, while efforts are ongoing to trace 23 passengers and four crew members who travelled on the same flight.

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, a relatively rare strain for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment.

According to the World Health Organisation, 8,463 cases and 4,082 deaths have been recorded since the emergence of the Bundibugyo species.

The Democratic Republic of Congo declared an Ebola outbreak in May, followed by cases in Uganda, where two people died. The WHO declared Uganda free of the disease in August, with subsequent cases reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo.