The Ministry of Health announced an immediate suspension of all meetings, seminars and conferences held in hotels for the State Department for Public Health.

The directive, issued in an internal memo by Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni Muriuki, will remain in force until further notice.

The memo applies specifically to heads of directorates, divisions and programmes within the State Department of Public Health, not to the broader government apparatus.

Any official wishing to hold a hotel‑based meeting must now obtain explicit prior approval from the Principal Secretary’s office.

Department heads have been instructed to enforce compliance and keep technical officers available for emergency operations, prioritising preparedness, contact tracing and response measures.

The suspension follows confirmation on 6 October of an imported case of the Bundibugyo virus, a strain of Ebola, in a Kenyan citizen who had lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo for seven years.

The patient fell ill, sought treatment locally, travelled by road to Kampala and then flew to Nairobi, arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on 3 October where routine screening was performed.

After isolation and supportive care at Nairobi Hospital, the patient died despite treatment for fever, fatigue, muscle pain, sore throat and bleeding at injection sites.

President William Ruto responded by directing the National Security Council Committee to convene and recommend urgent measures to protect the country from further transmission.