Nelson Havi: Forming Ebola Committee After US Pledge Is Treason

Senior Counsel Nelson Havi has accused President William Ruto's administration of committing an "impeachable offence" and "treason against the People of Kenya" by forming a National Ebola Response Committee only after the United States pledged KSh 1.7 billion ($13.5 million) toward Kenya's Ebola preparedness.

Havi, a former Law Society of Kenya president, argued that a sovereign government has an unconditional duty to protect its citizens and that waiting for foreign funding before acting on a known outbreak is a fundamental failure of that duty. He urged both the National Assembly and Senate to intervene and block any arrangement that could turn Kenya into what he called an "Ebola containment island" for external interests.

The criticism follows Kenya's agreement to host a US quarantine facility, reportedly at a Laikipia Air Base, for Americans exposed to Ebola but asymptomatic. President Ruto held a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, after which Washington announced the funding package. A Kenyan court has since issued orders halting aspects of the facility plan pending further hearings.

The outbreak is centred in the DRC, with cases also reported in Uganda. Kenya has recorded none.