Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has declared Ebola (Bundibugyo Virus) Disease a formidable epidemic disease, introducing new regulations to strengthen surveillance, screening, contact tracing, and the management of suspected and confirmed cases in Kenya.
A formidable epidemic disease is a legal and public health classification for a severe, highly contagious, or life-threatening illness that poses an imminent, large-scale threat to a population and requires extraordinary government intervention to control
The declaration was published in a Special Gazette notice dated October 12, 2026, pursuant to Section 35 of the Public Health Act.
“The Ebola (Bundibugyo Virus) Disease is hereby declared to be a formidable epidemic disease,” the order states.
In a separate legal notice, Duale introduced the Public Health (Ebola Disease) Rules, 2026, establishing measures for preventing, detecting, notifying, controlling and suppressing the disease.
The regulations designate the Kenya National Public Health Institute (NPHI) as the lead national technical institution responsible for coordinating Ebola prevention, preparedness, response and recovery activities.
“The Kenya National Public Health Institute shall be the lead national technical institution responsible for coordinating and overseeing the prevention, detection, preparedness, response and recovery activities relating to Ebola disease in Kenya,” the rules state.
NPHI will provide national technical leadership and coordinate disease surveillance, early warning and risk assessment, laboratory diagnosis, case investigations, contact tracing, infection prevention and control, and public communication.
The institute is also required to activate and coordinate the national public health Incident Management System through the National Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC), which will serve as the central technical and operational coordination hub for the response.
An incident command structure, led by an incident manager, will oversee specialised teams handling surveillance, laboratory services, case management coordination, infection prevention, screening at points of entry, risk communication, logistics, planning, operations, finance and administration.
NPHI will work alongside relevant ministries, government agencies, county governments, development partners and other stakeholders to implement the response.
The new rules introduce public health measures at airports, seaports, inland ports and land border crossings.
Anyone entering Kenya must comply with lawful entry restrictions and conditions imposed under the Public Health Act and the regulations.
Screening procedures may include reviewing health declarations, checking symptoms and travel history, assessing possible exposure, observing signs of illness and measuring body temperature.
Where necessary, authorities may conduct medical assessments, isolate suspected cases, arrange referrals and place exposed individuals under monitoring or quarantine.
The regulations also establish obligations for conveyance operators and provide for the inspection and decontamination of affected transport vehicles and premises.
Health facilities, medical practitioners and laboratories are required to follow procedures for notifying authorities about suspected and confirmed Ebola cases.
Contact tracing will involve identifying, listing, assessing and monitoring people who may have been exposed to the virus to detect illness early and prevent further transmission.
The rules also provide for the designation of health facilities to manage Ebola cases and outline their responsibilities.
The regulations require the safe and dignified handling and disposal of bodies of people who die from suspected or confirmed Ebola disease.
They also establish provisions for burial records, transportation and repatriation.
Additional measures cover public communication, media-led public sensitisation and assistance from enforcement agencies in implementing the rules.
The framework further outlines offences and penalties for violations, alongside provisions for reviewing the regulations and determining their duration.
The rules, coming after Kenya's first confirmed imported Ebola case, state that all interventions must remain proportionate to the public health risk while respecting human dignity and fundamental rights and freedoms.