Ebola: Frontline health workers question Kenya’s readiness

Health workers’ unions have warned that Kenya’s confirmation of an Ebola case has exposed gaps in preparedness, including shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), inadequate isolation facilities and weak surveillance at points of entry.

The imported case involved a Kenyan who travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and died on October 6.

The concerns contrast with a more reassuring assessment by the World Health Organisation (WHO), whose July 2026 situation report showed that Kenya’s Ebola Virus Disease preparedness had improved from 66 per cent to 82 per cent.

The WHO said Kenya had also conducted refresher training with the Ministry of Health and Kenya National Public Health Institute, particularly for rapid response teams and staff at points of entry.

But doctors, public health officers and laboratory officers say conditions on the ground tell a different story.

Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary-General Dr Davji Atella said confirmation of the case had heightened anxiety among healthcare workers and the public, raising questions about the country’s ability to contain an outbreak.

“As much as we have been reporting Ebola in Uganda and Congo (DRC), we never thought that it can be here. There is a panic among healthcare workers, as well as the public. We gave a warning in July that if we get Ebola in the country, we are not at a point of being able to handle it, especially with staff shortages,” he said.

“Preparedness cannot be imagined, it has to be actioned. The government should put all the necessary requirements in place,” he added.

KMPDU deputy secretary-general Dr Dennis Miskellah said preparedness must mean frontline workers have adequate PPE and isolation units are properly stocked.

“How can we be prepared when some counties say that gloves have run out? Fluids that help in resuscitating patients are not enough. Do we have enough blood, especially for a haemorrhagic fever like Ebola? We are not doing knowledge sharing across sectors,” he said.

He said Kenya had failed to learn enough from Covid-19, particularly on leadership, governance and coordination during public health emergencies.

“Healthcare is about leadership and governance. There has to be a single source of the truth and instructions,” he said.

Although healthcare is devolved, Dr Miskellah said national coordination was essential during public health emergencies.

“Devolution of healthcare is like 48 towers of Babel, where everyone is speaking their own language, yet Kenya cannot operate with that confusion,” he said.

Mr Mohamed Duba, secretary-general of the Association of Public Health Officers, said surveillance at points of entry also needed urgent reinforcement.

“We are aware that a disruption occurred due to a lack of smooth transition, which created a gap in surveillance. We also know that most thermal scanners at points of entry are not operating,” he said.

He said most points of entry lacked holding clinics where suspected cases could be temporarily isolated, while some frontline positions were staffed by interns, volunteers or casual workers.

“Port Health cannot be treated as an administrative or peripheral function. Kenya must ensure that designated points of entry have adequate numbers of qualified Public Health Officers, equipment, PPE, isolation and referral capacity, digital surveillance and clear escalation mechanisms,” he said.

Mr Duba said public health officers were critical to surveillance, outbreak investigation, contact tracing, quarantine and emergency preparedness.

He also called for a clear framework for the proposed Kenya Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), saying it should prioritise prevention and early detection rather than respond only after outbreaks occur.

“A strong KCDC must identify risks early, prevent transmission, strengthen surveillance, protect communities, and coordinate action before outbreaks become emergencies,” he said.

Mr Duba said the national government had failed to replace public health officers who had retired, leaving qualified graduates unemployed while weakening the public health system.

“We don’t need a new budget; we just need replacement of those that have left service,” he said.

Mr Brown Ashira, secretary-general of the Kenya Public Health Union, said public health officers were among the first responders to infectious disease outbreaks but continued to be sidelined.

The union has been on strike for 75 days. Mr Ashira said they had been invited to conciliatory talks, but Ministry of Health officials failed to attend a recent meeting.

“Covid came to the country through a flight, same as Ebola. History is repeating itself. We have insufficient public health officers at the point of entry and this is in total disregard of the International Health Regulations. For far too long, we have been treated as cousins in the health sector. This country has neglected public health officers,” he said.

Mr Pius Nyakundi, secretary-general of the Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers, said laboratory officers were also exposed to infection but their concerns had received little attention.

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