The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists’ Union (KMPDU) has opposed reported plans to establish a United States-linked Ebola quarantine and treatment facility in Kenya and called for transparency and public participation over the matter.
In a statement on Thursday, the doctors’ union expressed concern over the reported plans and their potential public health implications.
KMPDU said Kenya risked being turned into what it termed a containment zone for foreign health emergencies.
“We will not sit back and watch Kenya be treated as a containment colony for a lethal pathogen that we did not generate,” the statement read.
The union raised three key concerns and demanded accountability from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the proposed facility reportedly planned for Laikipia Air Base.
First, KMPDU questioned why Kenya had been selected as a destination for potentially exposed individuals linked to the current Bundibugyo strain Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
It called for disclosure of any bilateral agreements between Kenya and the United States, and clarification on the safety and public health implications of the arrangement.
“Why has Kenya been selected as the designated dumping ground for exposed US citizens while nations directly bordering the epicentre are bypassed?” the statement posed.
The union also questioned the rationale for hosting such a facility, arguing that if evacuation to the United States was considered unsafe, Kenya should not be expected to assume the same risk.
“If it is too dangerous for America, it is too dangerous for Kenya,” the statement read.
KMPDU further demanded publication of the agreement details, saying Kenyans were entitled to know the terms under which the country could host a high-risk infectious disease facility.
Second, the union raised concerns over the state of local healthcare systems while discussions on international health arrangements continue.
It said public hospitals remain under-resourced, with shortages of essential medicines, diagnostic tools and critical care infrastructure.
“Our public hospitals are currently structurally crippled. We lack basic diagnostic reagents, essential medicines and functional intensive care infrastructure,” the statement read.
The union said priority should be given to strengthening domestic health systems.
KMPDU also questioned the allocation of resources, saying emphasis should be placed on improving local healthcare services.
Third, the union raised concerns over staffing and employment conditions, warning against what it termed the exclusion of Kenyan health workers from the proposed facility.
It said thousands of qualified doctors and health workers remain unemployed or underemployed despite a national shortage of medical personnel.
“For years, KMPDU has sounded the alarm on the severe shortage of doctors in Kenya. Thousands of qualified healthcare workers remain unemployed or on precarious contracts,” the statement read.
The union said it would oppose any arrangement in which foreign medical personnel are prioritised over Kenyan professionals or local doctors are assigned low-level roles without secure employment terms.
“We will not tolerate an apartheid healthcare model on Kenyan soil,” the statement read.
KMPDU said that if the facility proceeds, it should be used as an opportunity to permanently employ Kenyan doctors under fair and fully funded terms, including proper hazard pay and medical cover.
The union issued a 48-hour ultimatum, demanding full disclosure of the negotiations and warning of possible nationwide industrial action if its concerns are not addressed.
“Kenya is a sovereign republic, not a geopolitical isolation ward,” the statement read.
KMPDU Secretary-General Dr Davji Bhimji Atellah said the union would mobilise doctors nationwide if the government proceeds without transparency or fails to address staffing shortages in the health sector.
