Written by Jemimah Mawia
Laikipia University
Ebola has found its way into Kenya again, and Kenyans are worried. What started as a major outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has now crossed borders and reached us. As of 19th October 2026, Kenya has confirmed eight cases of the Ebola Bundibugyo virus. The first patient was treated in Nairobi, and sadly some of the health workers who cared for that patient are among those infected.
All the patients have been placed in isolation and health officials are tracing everyone who came into contact with them. For now, there is no evidence that the virus is spreading widely in our communities, but the country is on high alert. Because of these cases, even the United States has raised its travel advisory for Kenya from level two to level three, urging its citizens to reconsider travel due to health risks.
The effect of these eight cases is bigger than just numbers. In estates, markets, schools and matatus, people are talking in low tones, asking whether it is safe to go to hospital or to travel. When health workers get infected, fear grows even more because they are the ones we run to for help. Our hospitals, especially in rural areas, already lack enough medicine, equipment and staff, and this outbreak has added more pressure on them.
Although Ebola itself does not increase the price of flour or fuel, it affects the cost of living indirectly. When the world hears that Kenya has Ebola, tourists cancel their bookings. Hotels in Mombasa, Maasai Mara and Nairobi lose customers, and the drivers, traders and small business owners who depend on tourism lose their daily income.
At our borders like Busia and Malaba, traders now face stricter health checks and delays, which slows down the movement of goods. Families are also spending more money on masks, sanitizers and hospital visits out of fear. When business slows down and transport becomes difficult, traders are forced to increase prices, and in the end it is the common mwananchi who suffers the most, paying more for food and transport.
To finish and eliminate Ebola from Kenya, the government must act quickly and with honesty. First, it must tighten screening at all airports and border points and isolate any suspected case without delay. Second, it must protect our health workers by giving them proper protective gear, training and support, because if our doctors and nurses are not safe, none of us is safe.
Third, the government should educate the public in a language everyone understands, through radio and chiefs' barazas, teaching people the signs of Ebola such as high fever, headache, vomiting and bleeding, and telling them where to seek help immediately, while fighting fake news on social media. It should also send medicine, isolation beds and funds to county hospitals, not just keep them in Nairobi.
Movement of people should be controlled wisely without killing businesses, so that food supply continues and prices remain stable. Finally, since this outbreak came from outside, Kenya must work together with Congo, Uganda and the World Health Organization to stop it at the source.
Ebola is a dangerous disease, but it can be defeated. With only eight cases confirmed so far, Kenya still has a chance to contain it. If the government is transparent, if health workers are protected, and if citizens cooperate and stay calm, we will overcome this challenge as we have done before.
0 Comments