There is good news in Kenya's fight against Ebola. The Ministry of Health has announced that the first confirmed patients have been discharged after fully recovering from the disease.
In a press release issued in Nairobi on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, the Ministry said five male patients were sent home after laboratory tests showed they had cleared the virus. Two of them were treated at Kenyatta National Hospital, while the other three were at The Nairobi Hospital. All five had been free of symptoms before their discharge. The Ministry praised the skill and dedication of the health workers who cared for them.
The good news did not stop there. Another 46 people who were being monitored as contacts of confirmed cases have also completed their quarantine and returned to their families. They were released after staying healthy for the full monitoring period. This comes on top of 20 other contacts who went home on October 25, 2026. About 52 contacts are still under watch, and the Ministry expects them to be released by November 11, 2026, once they complete 21 days since their last exposure. According to the Ministry, anyone who finishes this period without symptoms cannot spread the disease and poses no risk to others.
The Ministry also gave an update on the numbers. Kenya has recorded nine confirmed cases of Ebola (Bundibugyo virus) so far, with two deaths, which gives a case fatality rate of 22.2 per cent. No new case has been reported since October 19, 2026. All the cases are linked to a single cluster that began with the first imported case, and the Ministry says there is no community transmission. The two remaining patients, one at Kenyatta National Hospital and one at The Nairobi Hospital, are still receiving treatment and will go home once they meet the discharge criteria.
Even as patients return home, the Ministry is asking Kenyans to show them kindness. Every patient and contact is released only after meeting strict public health standards, and each one receives psychosocial support from a team of experts. Families, employers, neighbours and communities have been urged to welcome them warmly, treat them with respect and dignity, and avoid stigma.
The Ministry explained what comes next. Once the last patient has recovered or been laid to rest with dignity, Kenya will begin a 42-day countdown. If no new case is recorded in that time, the outbreak will be declared over. Until then, surveillance will continue without pause.
The statement also touched on the travel measures recently announced by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait over travel into or out of Kenya. The Ministry said Kenya will be guided by science and the International Health Regulations (2005), which require that health measures affecting international travel be proportionate and based on scientific evidence.
Kenya has shared its data with the two countries through official IHR channels and asked them to explain the public health basis for the measures, while the wider matter is being handled through diplomatic channels. The Ministry stressed that Kenya remains open for business, with no restrictions on travel, trade or public gatherings.
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