Kenyan Minister Convicted over Ebola Facility

Kenya's Supreme Court on Monday found Health Minister Aden Duale guilty of contempt of court for failing to comply with an order to immediately halt construction of an Ebola quarantine facility at an air base near Nanyuki in central Kenya.

The project, which is backed financially and logistically by the United States, has triggered widespread protests across the country. The facility is intended to isolate US citizens exposed to the Ebola virus during outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

In its ruling, the court said Duale knowingly violated injunctions issued in late May and early June by allowing construction work to continue. According to diplomatic sources and flight-tracking data, aircraft carrying specialized medical equipment and US personnel continued to arrive at the base after the court orders were issued.

Duale is due to appear in court on Tuesday for sentencing. Kenyan President William Ruto, however, has defended the project. In an interview with Reuters last week, he said the government had acted appropriately in allowing the United States to build the quarantine facility.

(Reuters, Max)