Kenya’s First Ebola Death Sparks Hunt

Two healthcare workers in full PPE reviewing a clipboard — Photo: People Image Studio / Shutterstock

A Kenyan man who had just flown in from Congo died in a Nairobi hospital this week, and government officials confirmed his death marks the country’s first-ever Ebola case.

Story Snapshot

Kenya confirmed its first imported case of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease after the patient died in Nairobi.
The man was a Kenyan citizen who had lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo for seven years before traveling home.
Two separate Kenyan labs independently tested his sample and both confirmed Ebola.
Health officials identified 28 close contacts and are tracing 23 passengers and four crew from his flight.
The World Health Organization said this is an imported case, not proof Ebola is spreading inside Kenya.

Patient’s Journey From Congo to Nairobi

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale announced that the Ministry of Health had confirmed the country’s first imported case of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease. The patient, a Kenyan citizen, had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo for seven years before deciding to return home. Officials say he traveled by road from Congo into Kampala, Uganda, then boarded a commercial flight into Kenya.

The patient landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on October 3 at 1:10 p.m. aboard Jambojet flight 85/8523. He was taken to Nairobi Hospital, where staff first isolated him in the Accident and Emergency area before moving him to the hospital’s East Wing isolation unit. He received supportive treatment there in the days that followed, as doctors worked to confirm what was making him sick.

Lab Results Confirm Ebola, Patient Dies

Samples from the patient tested positive for Ebola Bundibugyo virus at two separate facilities: Kenya’s National Virology Reference Laboratory and the Kenya Medical Research Institute lab in Nairobi. Duale said the patient “passed on last night at around 11:30pm” despite the supportive care he received. Reports on the exact night of death vary slightly between sources, though officials consistently point to his final hours in isolation at Nairobi Hospital.

Bundibugyo virus is one of several known strains of Ebola. It has caused deadly outbreaks before, including a re-emergence tied to Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo earlier this year. Congo’s health ministry declared an outbreak of the virus in May, and Uganda declared a linked outbreak the same day after an imported case surfaced in Kampala.

Officials Race to Trace Contacts

The Ministry of Health identified 28 contacts tied to the patient, including family members and the healthcare workers who treated him. Authorities are also tracking down 23 passengers and four crew members who flew with him from Kampala to Nairobi. Kenyan officials say they have screened more than 652,000 travelers and tested 267 samples across five laboratories since the regional outbreak began, with this case as the only positive result.

WHO Says No Sign of Local Spread

The World Health Organization backed Kenya’s response and drew a sharp line between this single imported case and a broader outbreak. A WHO representative said an imported case happens when one infected person crosses a border, while an outbreak requires ongoing spread within the country itself. The agency said Kenya is strengthening its response coordination, listing contacts, and increasing screening at high-risk entry points.

NAIROBI — Kenya has confirmed its first-ever imported case of Ebola after a citizen who recently returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) tested positive and subsequently died in Nairobi.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale confirmed the diagnosis, stating the… pic.twitter.com/YpQKKlLSFK

— Klick News (@KlickNewsLive) October 6, 2026

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is sending a emergency team to Kenya to support the response. Regional health ministers from East African Community countries have also agreed to tighten surveillance at borders and share outbreak information in real time, reflecting how quickly a single traveler’s illness can trigger a coordinated, multi-country response across East Africa’s shared transit routes.