Kenya has confirmed its first case of Ebola after a Kenyan national who recently returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo tested positive for the virus and died in Nairobi.
Kenyan Health Minister Aden Duale disclosed the development on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, while briefing the media on the country’s response to the case.
The development makes Kenya the second country outside the Democratic Republic of Congo to record a case linked to the current outbreak after Uganda, which recorded cases earlier in the year before the World Health Organization declared the country Ebola-free in August.
The patient, who had lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo for about seven years, reportedly fell ill about a month ago and received treatment at several hospitals there before travelling by road to Kampala, Uganda, and subsequently boarding a flight to Nairobi on Saturday.
Duale said the patient underwent routine screening at Nairobi’s main airport before a relative took him to Nairobi Hospital. He was later transferred to an isolation facility after his condition worsened and doctors suspected a viral haemorrhagic fever.
The patient developed symptoms including fever, chills, severe fatigue, painful swallowing, muscle pain and bleeding under the skin before dying at about 11:30 p.m. on Monday. Kenyan health authorities have identified at least 28 people who had direct contact with him, including relatives and healthcare workers, while officials are also tracing 23 passengers and four crew members who were aboard the same flight to Nairobi.
Uganda became the first country outside the Democratic Republic of Congo to report cases linked to the current Ebola outbreak shortly after the DRC declared the outbreak in May.
Two deaths were recorded in Uganda before the World Health Organization declared the country free of the disease in August following the required period without a new confirmed case.
The spread to Kenya follows Uganda’s earlier cases and comes as authorities across the region strengthen efforts to prevent further transmission of the virus.
Nigeria has stepped up measures aimed at preventing the importation and spread of Ebola as the outbreak has expanded beyond the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The measures form part of Nigeria’s efforts to prevent imported Ebola cases as the outbreak continues to spread beyond the Democratic Republic of Congo.
