The Kenyan Minister of Health, Aden Duale, has ordered this Tuesday to halt the construction of an Ebola quarantine and treatment center intended for United States citizens, just one day after a court found him guilty of contempt of court for disregarding a previous judicial order.
During his appearance before the Supreme Court, Duale explained that he has "ordered the immediate and complete cessation" of the construction work on the facility, planned within a military base located in the city of Nanyuki, in the central region of the African country.
The Health Minister stated before the court that "I sincerely regret any action or omission, misunderstanding, or misinterpretation that may have led to non-compliance with this court's order or created the perception of it," and insisted that he would be "the last person to defy a court order," appealing to his extensive experience in public service.
Supreme Court Justice Patricia Nyaundi accepted Duale's apologies and allowed him to leave the courtroom "with a stern warning," as reported by the BBC.
The high court had found the minister guilty of contempt of court on Monday for allowing the construction of the center to proceed despite the temporary suspension ordered the previous month by the same court.
In early June, the Kenyan Supreme Court demanded that the Executive make public in its entirety the agreement signed with the United States, or any other country, for the establishment of the center, after ordering the provisional suspension of the project.
In the same ruling, the judge extended the order preventing the government of William Ruto from accepting or receiving Americans or other foreigners infected with Ebola at the facility, following a lawsuit by several civil organizations that warned that the agreement with Washington entails "serious and imminent risks" to public health.
In recent weeks, President Ruto has defended the plan, emphasizing that it is part of a decades-long cooperation with the United States and that the planned center is one of 23 that "are part of Kenya's disease preparedness framework." However, the project has generated strong protests among the residents of Nanyuki.