Kenya has confirmed its first Ebola case linked to the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo after a Kenyan citizen died in Nairobi, prompting authorities to trace relatives, health workers and passengers who traveled on the same flight.
Health Minister Aden Duale said the patient had lived in Congo for seven years and had been ill for about a month before traveling by road to Kampala and then flying to Nairobi. He was taken to Nairobi Hospital, isolated and tested after arriving with symptoms consistent with viral hemorrhagic fever.
Contact tracing expands after the patient’s death
The patient died late Monday. Kenyan authorities identified 28 contacts in the country, including family members and health workers, and began tracing another 23 passengers and four crew members from the flight into Nairobi.
The Health Ministry said quarantine arrangements were in place for people considered at risk. Officials also notified the World Health Organization and intensified surveillance at border and airport entry points.
Kenya had been preparing for regional spread
Kenya had already raised its Ebola preparedness level earlier this year as the Bundibugyo strain spread in eastern Congo. The government says thousands of health workers have received training in prevention and case management.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected people or contaminated materials. Health authorities urged the public to maintain hygiene precautions and avoid close contact with people showing symptoms after travel from areas with active transmission.
The Congo outbreak has become one of the largest recorded Ebola epidemics, adding urgency to regional containment efforts.
Sources
- Kenya Ministry of Health / Kenya News Agency, Oct. 6, 2026
- Reuters and Associated Press, Oct. 6, 2026
