Duale declares Ebola formidable epidemic disease, issues new control rules
Government introduces screening, isolation, quarantine and contact-tracing measures following confirmation of Kenya’s first imported Bundibugyo Ebola case
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has issued two legal notices declaring Bundibugyo Ebola a formidable epidemic disease and introducing stringent regulations on screening, isolation, quarantine, contact tracing and the management of suspected infections under Kenya’s Public Health Act.
The declaration and gazettement now paves the way for the enforcement of measures to strengthen surveillance and prevent its spread in Kenya.
The public notice was published in a Special Issue of the Kenya Gazette dated October 12, 2026, follows confirmation of the country’s first imported case involving a Kenyan national who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In Legal Notice No. 203, issued under Section 35 of the Public Health Act (Cap. 242), Duale declared the disease a formidable epidemic disease through the Public Health (Declaration of Formidable Epidemic Disease) Order, 2026.
In a separate Legal Notice No. 204, the government published the Public Health (Ebola Disease) Rules, 2026, establishing measures governing the prevention, detection and management of suspected and confirmed infections.
The regulations provide for screening at points of entry, medical assessment of suspected cases, isolation and referral of patients, and monitoring and quarantine of individuals who may have been exposed to the virus.
The rules also establish surveillance and reporting requirements for healthcare facilities, medical practitioners and laboratories, alongside procedures for investigating suspected infections and tracing contacts.
Transport operators will also be subject to provisions relating to inspections and decontamination as authorities seek to minimise the risk of transmission through potentially contaminated materials and environments.
The regulations further provide for the designation of health facilities to manage Ebola cases and procedures for inspecting and decontaminating premises where infections may have occurred.
They also prescribe measures for handling the bodies of people who die from the disease, including safe and dignified disposal, burial records, transportation and repatriation.
Other provisions cover public communication, media-led awareness campaigns, enforcement assistance, offences and penalties, as well as the review and duration of the regulations.
The new legal framework strengthens the government’s ability to implement public health interventions as authorities intensify surveillance following the imported case.
Health officials have been conducting contact tracing and monitoring people who may have been exposed to the virus to establish whether further transmission has occurred.
However, the declaration does not, in itself, amount to a nationwide Ebola outbreak declaration. Rather, it provides a legal basis for implementing preventive and control measures against the disease.
Ebola is a severe viral illness that can cause fever, weakness, vomiting and diarrhoea, with some patients developing internal or external bleeding.
Transmission occurs through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of infected people, as well as contaminated materials.
The newly published rules recognise several viruses associated with Ebola disease, including Ebola, Sudan, Bundibugyo and Taï Forest viruses.
