Kenya has recorded its first confirmed case of Ebola virus disease, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale announced on Tuesday, October 6. The patient, a Kenyan citizen who had lived in DR Congo for seven years, died on Monday night while receiving treatment in a Nairobi hospital. ALSO READ: Rwanda on alert as Ebola outbreak is declared global emergency The imported case involved Ebola Bundibugyo virus. The official said the patient fell ill about a month ago in DR CONGO, sought treatment at several facilities there, then travelled by road to Kampala, Uganda. On October 3, he boarded a Jambojet flight and arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport around 1:10 p.m. After routine public health screening, relatives took him to Nairobi Hospital, where he was isolated. Authorities have identified 28 contacts, including family members and health workers, for monitoring. Passengers and crew from the flight are also being traced. A burial is planned under Ebola protocols. The Ministry of Health said it is intensifying surveillance and contact tracing to prevent further spread. In DR Congo, the source of the imported case, authorities have been battling the country’s largest Ebola outbreak on record, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain. In mid-May 2026, the World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak a global health emergency of international concern. According to Congolese authorities, the epidemic has surpassed 8,400 confirmed cases and 4,000 deaths as of early October, with a case fatality rate near 48 percent, according to Congolese officials.
