U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) has deployed personnel to Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki, Kenya, to build a temporary Ebola isolation unit, pressing construction forward despite a Kenyan High Court order blocking the project.

The deployed element includes medical, engineering, communications, security, and contract planners, AFRICOM confirmed. The troop count has not been disclosed. The force will not provide frontline medical care, instead using rapid-response logistics capabilities to support the State Department and other U.S. agencies as part of a $220 million whole-of-government response.

The Katiba Institute, a Nairobi-based constitutional rights organization, has returned to court seeking contempt sanctions against Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and Attorney General Dorcus Odour for allegedly violating conservatory orders. Flight tracking data showed approximately 20 U.S. aircraft carrying equipment and personnel had landed at the base after the court freeze took effect.

The 50-bed facility has sparked protests in Nanyuki since late May, with three people killed by security forces and police firing tear gas on demonstrators on June 9. President William Ruto approved the facility after President Trump requested Kenya’s support. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Cabinet on May 27, “We cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States.”

SECRETARY RUBIO on EBOLA: We’ve got good efforts in place and Americans should feel assured that the President and his administration are doing everything we can do to protect them. pic.twitter.com/8lMGVLAJUa

— Department of State (@StateDept) May 27, 2026

The State Department said Kenya was selected for its proximity to the outbreak zone and limited regional airport capacity. As of June 14, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Ministry of Health reported 782 confirmed Ebola cases and 181 deaths caused by Bundibugyo virus. Uganda has confirmed 19 cases and two deaths. No American has voluntarily used the facility.

“The Katiba Institute wants the court to address the alleged blatant violation of existing conservatory and disclosure orders regarding the secretive U.S.-backed Ebola quarantine and treatment facility at the Laikipia Airbase,” the institute stated in its court filing.