Kenya Protester Shot Over US Ebola Facility
A man was shot in the head during a protest in Nanyuki, Kenya. Protesters were against a planned US Ebola quarantine facility at Laikipia airbase.
The airbase is about 120 miles from Nairobi. Police used tear gas to break up the crowd before the shooting.
Protesters worry about infection spreading across borders. They also say the government has not been open about the facility.
The Kenyan government approved the facility for US citizens possibly exposed to Ebola. It is a 50-bed unit for Americans who show no symptoms yet.
A Kenyan court has ordered construction to pause. But Kenya's president said he will press ahead anyway.
He said Kenya owes the US for years of aid support. The Ebola outbreak is centred in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Cases have also been reported in Uganda.
Key Terms 5
- quarantine facility A place where people are kept apart to stop disease spreading
- Laikipia airbase A military airbase in Nanyuki, Kenya, about 120 miles from Nairobi
- Ebola A serious and often deadly virus that spreads through contact with infected people
- court pause order A court instruction to stop an activity temporarily while it is reviewed
- Democratic Republic of Congo A large country in central Africa where the current Ebola outbreak began