Kenya has identified 28 contacts linked to the country’s first confirmed Ebola case as health authorities intensify efforts to prevent further transmission of the virus.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said the contacts include family members and healthcare workers who attended to the patient before he died on Monday, October 5, night.
The Ministry of Health is also tracing 23 passengers and four crew members who were on the same Jambojet flight as the deceased after he travelled from Kampala to Nairobi on Saturday, October 3.
Duale said arrangements were underway to quarantine people considered to be at risk as authorities continue assessing those who may have been exposed to the patient.
The patient was a Kenyan citizen who had lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for seven years. He travelled from the DRC to Kampala by road before boarding Jambojet flight 8523 to Nairobi, where he arrived at 1:10pm on October 3.
After arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the patient was transported directly to Nairobi Hospital by a relative and a friend. He was isolated after presenting with symptoms including fever, chills, fatigue, muscle pain, painful swallowing, sore throat and bleeding under the skin at injection sites.
Samples tested positive for Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease at both the National Virology Reference Laboratory and the Kenya Medical Research Institute laboratory.
The Ministry said it had maintained heightened surveillance for Ebola since the outbreak began in May 2026.
By October 6, health authorities had screened 652,584 travellers and tested 267 samples across five laboratories, with only one returning a positive result.
The government has also trained 4,971 health workers at national and sub-national levels on Ebola prevention and management.
Kenya has notified the World Health Organization of the confirmed case in line with the International Health Regulations.
The Ministry has urged the public not to panic, saying systems are in place to contain the disease. Kenyans have been advised to wash their hands frequently or use alcohol-based hand rubs, avoid close contact with sick people from areas reporting active Ebola transmission and seek medical care when unwell.
Health workers have also been urged to maintain strict infection prevention and control measures while the contact-tracing exercise continues.
The Ministry said it will continue updating the public as more information becomes available and has directed Kenyans to use its official platforms or the toll-free 719 line for information.
