At least one person was killed as Kenyan police fought violent running battles and fired tear gas at hundreds of people protesting against an Ebola quarantine centre being built for US citizens in a tourist town.
The centre at Laikipia Air Base in the town of Nanyuki, under the shadow of Mount Kenya, is set to quarantine Americans arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which is battling a major Ebola outbreak.
Kenya has never recorded a case of Ebola, and many oppose the idea of bringing potential carriers of the highly contagious disease into the country.
There were running battles around Nanyuki as protesters lit fires and threw stones at police on Tuesday, who responded with tear gas and water cannons.
Gunshots were heard, and one man was lying motionless after being shot in the head, AFP reported.
The ICRC said another person was injured by a teargas canister.
“His death is confirmed. We are waiting for his family,” Hussein Khalid, director of the NGO Vocal Africa, said of the man who was shot.
Dozens were arrested, including by armed police in plainclothes.
Last week, a Kenyan court extended by three weeks the suspension of the Ebola quarantine centre and ordered the government to disclose the agreement behind the project
The United States is treading a thin line and has been careful not to comment publicly on the court issue or the protests, insisting it continues to work hand in hand with the Kenyan government.
The centre is due to have 50 isolation beds and be managed by US staff and was nearing completion late last week.
Work has continued despite a temporary pause order and opposition from local politicians in Laikipia.
