DUALE, KENYANS DEMAND ANSWERS.

DUALE, KENYANS DEMAND ANSWERS. 

Kenya had months of warning about Ebola. The Ministry announced enhanced border surveillance and preparedness, and Duale told Parliament that Sh2.6 billion was required to prepare for the first 100 cases. Yet a patient reportedly sick for about a month, treated in the DRC and travelling through Kampala, reached JKIA, underwent Port Health screening and proceeded through immigration before being taken directly to Nairobi Hospital, where doctors identified the danger and tested him. If the system was ready, why did the airport screening not trigger further assessment? Preparedness cannot be measured by press conferences and budget announcements; it must be measured by what happens when the first suspected case actually arrives.

The DRC provides an even darker warning. In 2018, Ebola was cited when voting was postponed in Beni and Butembo—opposition strongholds—excluding more than 1.2 million registered voters from voting on the scheduled election day. Opposition leaders, activists and civil society condemned the decision, while residents staged symbolic elections in protest. In 2026, restrictions on political meetings and demonstrations during another Ebola outbreak again triggered accusations from opposition and civil-society actors that public-health powers were being used to suppress dissent. Whether every allegation was justified or not, the lesson is undeniable: once an epidemic intersects with an election, health measures can acquire profound political consequences.

That is why Kenya must think ahead. A health emergency must never become a democratic emergency. If Ebola requires restrictions on movement or rallies, the government must publish the medical evidence, define the geographical scope, set clear time limits and apply the rules equally to government and opposition. The Ministry must protect Kenyans from Ebola—but it must also demonstrate competence, transparency and respect for democratic freedoms. We cannot afford a health response that fails at the border and a political response that succeeds in closing the democratic space as Kenya heads towards general elections.

Rt Hon Justin Muturi EGH 
Party Leader 
Democratic Party