More than 4,000 people have died in the worst outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s history, with more than 8,300 confirmed cases.
Published on October 6, 2026
Kenya has confirmed its “first case of Ebola after the death of a Kenyan national in Nairobi, returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The patient, who had lived in the DRC for seven years, had been ill for about a month before traveling by road from the DRC to the Ugandan capital, Kampala, and then flying to Nairobi on Saturday, Aden Duale, Kenya’s health secretary, said at a press conference on Tuesday.
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Seeking to end local transmission, Kenya’s President William Ruto said at least eight of the victim’s family members and 21 health workers had been quarantined, as he ordered a stepped-up response to contain the virus in the country.
Earlier, Health Secretary Duale said 28 contacts, including family members and health workers who were caring for the patient, had been identified. Twenty-three other passengers and four crew members who traveled on the same flight from Uganda have been located.
Patrick Amoth, director general of Kenya’s health ministry, said contacts will remain in isolation for 21 days and will be released if they test negative for the virus.
Uganda reported 20 cases and two deaths earlier in the year, but was declared Ebola-free in August.
The current outbreak, the 17th in the DRC, has spread rapidly since it was officially declared on May 15.
The outbreak has claimed more than 4,000 lives, according to figures released by the government on Friday, and confirmed cases have reached 8,300 in seven provinces, making it the worst Ebola outbreak in the country’s history.
The World Health Organization has warned that the outbreak is “far from over” and is on course to surpass the regional Ebola outbreak in West Africa from 2014 to 2016, which killed more than 11,000 people, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Meanwhile, the United Nations has advised against imposing travel and trade restrictions in Kenya, the DRC and Uganda following the Ebola-related deaths in Kenya.
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