Ebola at State House: 14 staff quarantined as Ruto's Congo trip shelved over Ebola fears

Volunteers put on their personal protective equipment before recovering the body of a 3-year-old child, presumed to have died of Ebola virus disease, in Bunia on June 11, 2026.[AFP]

Details have emerged how Kenya had a close brush with the deadly Ebola virus, right at the heart of the country’s leadership.

The Saturday Standard has established that 14 members of President William Ruto's advance team who travelled to Congo-Brazzaville are presently under a mandatory 21-day quarantine after returning to Kenya.

It emerged that State House has barred them from approaching the President as authorities enforce strict Ebola prevention measures.

President Ruto, who is a busy Head of State and who never rests, could have been exposed had the team made contact with him.

Kenyans online have raised concerns on Ruto's busy schedule, where he holds a dozen meetings per day and on some days meets thousands of delegations at State House or State Lodges all over the country.

A well placed insider source intimated to The Saturday Standard that the advance team, comprising security and protocol officers deployed ahead of the President's planned visit to Brazzaville, on May26 2026 , was immediately isolated upon returning to Kenya amid fears of possible exposure to Ebola.

The Brazzaville Conference was expected to bring together heads of state and government from across Central and East Africa to discuss regional cooperation, trade, and security matters.

The trip was part of President Ruto's broader diplomatic engagement strategy, coming just weeks after his attendance at the G7 summit in France earlier that month.

The President had been looking forward to the conference, which was seen as an opportunity to strengthen bilateral ties with Congo-Brazzaville and other participating nations.

However, the planned visit was thrown into uncertainty following the escalating Ebola outbreak in the region, primarily affecting the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo and parts of Uganda.

The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain, had been spreading rapidly across borders, raising alarm among health authorities across the continent.

The officials did not come into contact with President Ruto, according to the sources, after State House moved swiftly to prevent any potential risk to the Head of State.

"There was panic when the advance team came back. They were quarantined immediately and had no contact with the President," one source said, adding that other State House personnel who may have interacted with the team were advised to monitor themselves and self-isolate where necessary.

Another source said the President sought regular briefings from health experts to ensure State House remained free of any Ebola risk.

The quarantine, which had largely remained undisclosed, was publicly confirmed this week by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale during court proceedings over Kenya's Ebola preparedness.

Instead, Ruto addressed the regional summit virtually from State House, allowing Kenya to participate while avoiding the public health risks associated with travel.

But sources within State House said some officials were unhappy that details surrounding the President's aborted trip and the quarantine of presidential staff had been made public, fearing the revelations could fuel unnecessary public anxiety and complicate the President's official engagements.