Kenya has confirmed its first imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease after a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for seven years died while receiving treatment in Nairobi.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale announced on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, that the patient had fallen ill approximately a month earlier while in the DRC, where he was treated at several health facilities before travelling by road to Kampala, Uganda, and subsequently flying to Nairobi aboard Jambojet flight 8523.
The patient arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Saturday, October 3, and underwent routine public health screening before being taken directly to a Nairobi hospital by a relative and a friend. He was isolated after presenting with fever, chills, intense fatigue, muscle pain, painful swallowing, sore throat, and bleeding under the skin at injection sites. Samples taken from the patient tested positive for Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease at both the National Virology Reference Laboratory and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) laboratory . The patient was placed on supportive treatment but died on Monday night, October 5, with arrangements for a safe and dignified burial underway .Kenyan health authorities have identified 28 contacts of the deceased, including family members and health workers, who are being followed up and will remain in isolation for 21 days . The Ministry is also tracing 23 passengers and four crew members who travelled on the same flight, with quarantine arrangements for those considered at risk.
Duale said Kenya had maintained a high level of alert since the Ebola outbreak began in May 2026 and had screened 652,584 travellers as of October 6. A total of 267 samples have been tested in five laboratories, with only one turning positive. The Ministry has also trained 4,971 health workers at national and sub-national levels on Ebola prevention and management and notified the World Health Organization of the confirmed case in line with the International Health Regulations .World Health Organization Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Janabi praised Kenya’s transparency and swift response, stressing the importance of distinguishing between an imported case and an outbreak.
“An imported case occurs when an infected individual enters a country from elsewhere. An outbreak would require ongoing local transmission within the country, which, at this stage, has not occurred in Kenya,” he said
Africa CDC Director General Dr Jean Kaseya expressed condolences to the family of the deceased and reaffirmed the organisation’s support to Kenya.
“I thank the Kenyan authorities for the rapid measures already put in place and reiterate Africa CDC’s full support. I will personally travel to Kenya in the coming days to assess, together with the national authorities, the needs of the response and any additional support required,” Kaseya said
The current outbreak, declared in eastern DRC in mid-May 2026, has recorded at least 8,400 cases and over 4,000 deaths, making it the fastest-growing outbreak of the disease in history . Kenya is the fourth country to record a case in the current outbreak, following Uganda and France .