The Ministry of Health has challenged Saudi Arabia’s decision to suspend travel from Kenya and stop issuing visas to Kenyan travellers following the Ebola outbreak.
In a statement issued on Saturday, October 31, 2026, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale described the restrictions as excessive and inconsistent with the country’s current disease situation.
According to him, the government was concerned about the measures, arguing that Kenya’s outbreak response did not warrant such restrictions.
“The Ministry of Health, Kenya, has noted with concern the extreme measures taken by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding the Ebola situation in the country. We reiterate that the measures taken are not only excessive but not backed by the current epidemiological situation in the country,” the statement read.
This comes after Saudi Arabia announced a suspension of travel by its citizens to Kenya, halted the issuance of all visa categories to travellers from the country and barred entry into the Kingdom for people arriving from Kenya, including those transiting through other countries.
The Health CS maintained that all 135 contacts linked to the imported case had been identified and traced, with 118 placed under quarantine as part of containment efforts.
He further said the confirmed infections linked to the initial case had remained within the same cluster, with no evidence of transmission in the wider community and no new infections reported since October 19.
