Ebola: Fear, secrecy and trust is Kenya getting risk communication right?

As the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola continues to spread across the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the greatest challenge facing Kenya may not be the virus itself, but convincing the public to trust the country's outbreak response.

Recent revelations by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale that Kenya is quietly operating undisclosed quarantine and isolation facilities, alongside the controversy surrounding the halted construction of an Ebola isolation centre Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki, have reignited debate over one critical question: How much information should governments share during a public health emergency?

Amid growing regional concern over cross-border transmission, many public health experts warn preparedness extends far beyond isolation wards, border screening and laboratories. It also depends on transparent communication, community engagement and public confidence.

Duale dismissed concerns that the government's focus was centred on seven Americans reportedly under quarantine in Kenya , saying the public should instead pay attention to the many Kenyans who have also undergone isolation measures.

"I do not know why you are asking about Americans. We have quarantined a lot of people, including members of the President's staff, for 21 days include employees from the office of the president ," Duale said.

The Cabinet Secretary defended the government's decision not to disclose the locations of quarantine and isolation facilities, arguing that doing so could undermine healthcare services.

"If I say this hospital is a quarantine station, you know what will happen. The people of Kenya will not go to that hospital."

"We can, however, visit Kenyatta National Hospital's isolation ward and the National Police Service facility, where I have quarantined more than 21 Kenyans. Instead of being preoccupied with Americans, you should be asking about the Kenyans we have quarantined."

A planned media tour of the facilities, which was to be conducted jointly with officials from the U.S. Embassy, was later postponed.

Legally, Kenya's Public Health Act grants the Cabinet Secretary for Health, the Director-General for Health and other public health officers powers to order isolation, quarantine and movement restrictions to control infectious diseases. However, the law does not require authorities to publicly identify quarantined individuals or disclose operational details of every isolation facility.

The debate over transparency has been amplified by the ongoing legal dispute surrounding the proposed high-containment isolation Air Base facility .

the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola continues to spread across five provinces in the DRC, heightening concern across the Great Lakes and East African region.

South Sudan, which shares a porous border with northeastern DRC, has already heightened surveillance and placed its health system on high alert over fears of cross-border transmission. The development has direct implications for Kenya, whose Turkana County borders South Sudan through the busy Lokichoggio-Nadapal corridor, a key route for traders, transporters, humanitarian workers and security personnel.

Although Kenya does not share a direct border with the DRC, its position as a regional transport hub and the constant movement of people across East Africa have increased the importance of early detection, surveillance and effective public communication.

Against that backdrop, recent remarks by  Duale have once again placed the spotlight on how Kenya communicates public health risks.

Construction of the facility was halted following a court order issued by Justice Patricia Nyaundi after local residents challenged the project, arguing they had not been adequately consulted.

Asked whether the government had complied with the court orders, Duale insisted construction had stopped.

"If you are saying that is the case, then that is okay. But unless you have visited Laikipia and can say construction has continued, I can only tell you that we have complied with the court order."

Yet for many public health specialists, the Laikipia controversy exposed a deeper weakness in Kenya's outbreak preparedness not the absence of isolation facilities, but the absence of public trust.

The lesson is one the world has learnt before. During the 2014–2016 West African Ebola epidemic, early messaging that portrayed Ebola as an incurable killer fuelled panic, stigma and resistance. Communities hid patients, rejected health workers and, in some cases, attacked Ebola response teams.

Health authorities eventually abandoned fear-based messaging in favour of community engagement, working with religious leaders, village elders and Ebola survivors to explain risks, answer concerns and build trust.

That shift transformed outbreak control.

Today, many experts argue that Kenya risks repeating familiar mistakes. Peterson Wachira, Chairperson of the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers and a clinician who served during the African Union Ebola response mission in Liberia and Sierra Leone, says outbreak preparedness begins long before the first patient arrives.

"Risk communication and community engagement are pillars of outbreak preparedness. We train healthcare workers, strengthen laboratories and surveillance systems, but we must also prepare communities."

He argues that authorities first need to understand public fears before attempting to correct misinformation.

"There is something we call social listening. You first listen to the population and understand their fears. Once you understand those fears, you replace that fear with facts because fear brings stigma."

Dr. Moses Masika, a medical microbiologist at the University of Nairobi, believes Kenya still has significant ground to cover.

"Before you make any move, you should move together with the public. Explain what you are doing, why you are doing it and answer questions sufficiently."

He warns that forcing public health interventions without community buy-in can undermine the very response they are intended to strengthen.