Kenyan protesters and police clashed Tuesday as officers fired tear gas at hundreds of people demonstrating against an Ebola quarantine centre being built for US citizens in a tourist town and made several arrests, AFP journalists saw.
The centre at Laikipia Air Base in the town of Nanyuki, under the shadow of Mount Kenya, is set to quarantine Americans arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which is battling a major Ebola outbreak.
Kenya has never recorded a case of Ebola and many oppose the idea of bringing potential carriers of the highly contagious disease into the country. Dozens gathered near the air base, some wearing protective equipment and carrying a coffin with "Ebola" written on it.
AFP journalists saw several people arrested by police, who also fired tear gas to disperse the growing crowds. "We don't have that disease in this country... they are bringing a virus into our country," said Zipporah Wachira, 30. "I'd like to know the reason why they thought our country is a dumping site," said Priscilla Waimani, 47, wrapped in a Kenyan flag. The centre is due to have 50 isolation beds and be managed by US staff and was nearing completion late last week.
It had already sparked protests on June 1. Rights groups said two people died, though the circumstances of their deaths remain unclear. Construction of the facility is under a temporary pause order from Kenya's High Court -- although work has continued at the site -- and it has been opposed by local politicians in Laikipia.
