Kenya confirmed its first imported case of Ebola Bundibugyo Virus Disease after a Kenyan citizen who had lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo for seven years arrived in Nairobi on 3 October 2026 and later died at Nairobi Hospital.

The patient became ill about a month before his arrival, received treatment at several hospitals in the DRC, travelled by road to Kampala and then flew on a Jambojet flight that landed at JKIA at 1.10 pm on 3 October.

At Nairobi Hospital a doctor linked his symptoms and recent travel history to viral haemorrhagic fever, prompting a sample to be taken and tested at both the National Virology Reference Laboratory and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI).

The patient was isolated first in a separate room in the Accident and Emergency department before being moved to the hospital’s East Wing isolation facility.

Health authorities began tracing all passengers and crew from the Jambojet flight, as well as the driver who transported the patient from JKIA to the hospital, using the All‑Disease Outbreak Module (ADaM) to record exposures and register contacts.

ADaM is a digital platform that replaces paper logs and scattered phone calls with a structured system for health workers to manage information about possible exposures and contacts.

Speed is critical because a contact who is not identified quickly could continue travelling, working or caring for family before officials are aware of the exposure.

The response is coordinated through Kenya’s National Incident Management System, activated in May, which links the national response with county emergency operation centres and rapid response teams.

Four designated laboratories – the National Public Health Laboratory, KEMRI Nairobi, KEMRI Kisumu and a mobile laboratory at the Busia One‑Stop Border Post – are processing samples from identified contacts.

Officials remind the public that Ebola spreads only through direct contact with blood or body fluids, not through the air or casual contact, and advise anyone who has recently travelled to the DRC or Uganda and develops fever, severe tiredness, muscle pain, vomiting or diarrhoea to call a health facility before attending.

People identified as contacts are required to cooperate with 21‑day monitoring to enable early detection of symptoms and prevent further transmission.