The government of Kenya has declared Ebola a formidable epidemic disease, under the Public Health Act, thereby introducing new rules to be followed in terms of isolation, screening, surveillance, quarantine and the putting in place of necessary measures to manage suspected infections.
Cabinet Secretary for Health, Aden Duale, declared Ebola a formidable epidemic disease under Section 35 of the Public Health Act, in a special Kenya Gazette notice dated 12th October 2026.
According to Legal Notice No. 203, the declaration establishes the legal classification of the disease under Kenya’s public health laws.
In Legal Notice No. 204, the government published the Public Health (Ebola Disease) Rules, 2026, whereby it outlined measures for preventing and controlling the spread of the disease.
Regulations put in place include screening at the points of entry, isolation and referral of patients, medical assessment for suspected cases and quarantine for all those who have been exposed to the virus in one way or another therefore might be potentially infected by the virus.
Transport service operators have been charged with a responsibility to ensure proper inspection is done and sanitization or rather disinfecting is done to help in curbing the spread of the deadly virus.
The said regulations also deal with handling of the dead bodies of Ebola patients through proper and safe disposal of the corpses, keeping of the correct burial records, transportation and repatriation.
Health authorities have been tracing contacts and monitoring individuals who may have been exposed to the virus as part of efforts to prevent further transmission.
The new legal framework follows the confirmation of the first Ebola case involving a Kenyan citizen who lived in Democratic Republic of Congo, travelled to Uganda by road then flew into Kenya on the 3rd of October 2026, which led to heightened alertness by the Kenyan government in a bid to contain the virus and stop further spread.
Legal framework ensures disease prevention and control measures are implemented successfully.
Ebola virus is spread through contact of body fluids of an infected person as well as contaminated items.
According to the newly published regulations, there are various viruses associated with the Ebola disease for example Sudan, Bundibugyo, Taï Forest and Ebola viruses.
APERIT FM, HII NI YETU
