Ebola: What new rules mean for Kenyans returning home for Christmas
Cabinet Secretary for Health Aden Duale, accompanied by other government officials, addresses journalists during a press briefing at Afya House in Nairobi on October 6, 2026, after Kenya confirmed its first case of the Ebola virus.
Kenyans in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who will be jetting back home for Christmas will be required to register with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, go through a mandatory screening, and if confirmed to be a public risk, be subjected to quarantine, as the government tables strict safety regulations in Parliament to contain the spread of Ebola.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale on Thursday told the National Assembly Delegated Legislation Committee that, despite that, no Kenyan will be denied entry into the country based on having been in an affected country, in line with Section 33(2)(a) of the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act.
Mr Duale presented to the committee the Public Health (Ebola Disease) Rules, 2026, which are intended to facilitate timely and appropriate public health measures to prevent and control the transmission of Ebola.
The regulations provide for the timely detection, notification and investigation of Ebola cases; safe assessment, referral and care of persons with suspected or confirmed Ebola disease; and the safe and dignified handling and disposal of bodies of people who have died from suspected or confirmed Ebola.
“A person entering or departing from Kenya shall comply with the screening requirement and provide information that is accurate to the best of the person’s knowledge,” the new regulations, currently being scrutinised by the committee chaired by Ainabkoi MP Samuel Chepkonga, state.
The regulations provide that where there is evidence of a public health risk, arrangements may be made for separation, further medical assessment and any necessary isolation or quarantine.
“Where screening or other available information gives reasonable ground to suspect Ebola disease, a port health officer shall arrange prompt separation, medical assessment and any necessary testing,” reads Regulation 9(1) of the new rules.
Health CS Aden Duale at a past event.
According to the regulations, a contact identified at a point of entry shall be separated, assessed by a medical officer of health, quarantined at a designated facility and monitored for 21 days from the last relevant exposure.
However, a contact whose test results are negative after two diagnostic tests conducted in accordance with the relevant protocols may be released from quarantine before the expiry of the 21 days.
The regulations provide that port health officers may impose quarantine or travel restrictions on any person, including those in transit through Kenya, where necessary to prevent the transmission of Ebola.
However, a health officer may vary or terminate quarantine or travel restrictions imposed where the grounds for the restrictions change or cease to exist.
The regulations further provide that a port health officer shall not impose quarantine or travel restrictions solely on the basis of arrival from a country affected by Ebola without an assessment of exposure conducted by a qualified health officer.
On the burial of a person who has died of Ebola outside the country, the new regulations provide that the body shall not be repatriated to Kenya for burial.
“A person shall not transfer or repatriate the body of a person who has died of Ebola disease outside Kenya,” reads Regulation 21(2).
The regulations also provide for the safe and dignified disposal of the body of a person who has died of Ebola in the country.
Also Read: Tough burial regulations for Ebola victims
According to the regulations, the body shall be handled only by trained personnel using appropriate protective equipment, placed in a sealed, leak-resistant body bag bearing an identification reference and, where storage is necessary, kept in a secure, designated area.
The body shall not be washed, embalmed or redressed for funeral purposes.
“A sealed body shall not be opened except for an examination or specimen collection authorised by law and undertaken using appropriate infection prevention and control measures,” the regulations state.
Mr Duale, however, said relatives of the deceased would be allowed to attend the burial but would have to comply with public health protocols.
“If the person is a Christian, the burial will be conducted according to their customs; if the person is a Muslim, the rules shall apply. That is what we mean by giving the person a dignified burial,” Mr Duale said.
The committee will scrutinise the regulations as presented by the Ministry of Health before making recommendations to the House on whether to approve them in their current form or propose amendments.
Established under Standing Order 210, the Delegated Legislation Committee is mandated to consider statutory instruments submitted to the National Assembly and establish whether they comply with the provisions of the Constitution.
By Friday, November 6, the sixth Ebola patient in Kenya had been discharged after testing negative and meeting all recovery criteria, leaving just one patient still under treatment.
“The release marks 18 consecutive days without a new case since October 19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to nine, all contained within a single transmission chain linked to the initial imported case,” Dr Patrick Amoth, the Health Director General, said in a statement.
He said of the nine patients, two had died and six had recovered. In addition, 66 contacts have completed their 21-day observation. The remaining 52 are expected to complete theirs by November 11.
Despite this milestone, public health experts warn against premature celebration. The critical 42-day countdown, the global health benchmark required before an outbreak can be declared officially over, has not yet started.
Under World Health Organisation protocols, the clock begins only after the final patient tests negative twice and leaves isolation. As long as a patient remains under treatment, the potential for transmission exists.
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