Kenya has protested Saudi Arabia’s decision to suspend travel and arrivals from the country over the Ebola outbreak, describing the restrictions as disproportionate and unsupported by scientific evidence.
In a diplomatic note dated October 30, 2026, the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs asked Riyadh to review and lift the measures, arguing that Kenya had contained the imported outbreak and that there had been no new cases since October 19.
“With respect, while Kenya acknowledges the right of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to implement health measures in accordance with their national law to protect their citizens, the measures against Kenya are disproportionate and not supported by scientific health evidence,” Nairobi said.
The protest, addressed to Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its embassy in Nairobi, comes after the Kingdom announced on October 30, that it would suspend travel to and arrivals from Kenya as part of measures to prevent the spread of Ebola.
While Kenya acknowledged Saudi Arabia’s right to take public health measures to protect its citizens, it said the restrictions imposed on the country were excessive in light of the available epidemiological evidence.
The government said all nine confirmed cases belonged to a single cluster linked to an imported case, with secondary cases identified and placed in quarantine before they could transmit the disease further.
It added that seven patients who remained under treatment were responding well and were expected to be discharged on November 3.
Kenya also reported that 46 contacts were due to be released from quarantine on the same date, while all 135 contacts linked to the outbreak had been traced and monitored daily.
According to the ministry, the first contacts completed their mandatory 21-day quarantine period and were discharged on October 26, with the remaining individuals expected to be released on November 3, provided they continued testing negative.
The government further cited the absence of new cases since October 19 as evidence that the outbreak was under control.
It said the World Health Organisation had assessed Kenya as having professionally and transparently contained the outbreak and advised against travel or trade restrictions, noting that the risk outside the DRC and its neighbouring countries was low.
Nairobi warned that Saudi Arabia’s decision to suspend visas and bar anyone who had been in Kenya within the previous 21 days amounted to a blanket punitive measure that went beyond what the public health situation justified.
The ministry said the restrictions would hurt Kenyan pilgrims, workers, students, businesses and tourism, while penalising a country that had been transparent about the outbreak and notified WHO within 24 hours.
Kenya has consequently urged Saudi Arabia to reconsider its decision and formally lift the restrictions.
It also asked the Kingdom’s National Focal Point to submit a written justification to WHO, as required under the International Health Regulations (2005), explaining the scientific basis for measures that significantly interfere with international travel.
Under the regulations, countries implementing such additional measures are required to provide WHO with their public health rationale within 48 hours and review the restrictions within three months.
Nairobi further indicated that it would work with other affected African countries to raise concerns with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, arguing the restrictions risk setting a precedent for disproportionate treatment of African countries during public health emergencies.
The government said it was also prepared to provide a detailed technical briefing to Saudi Arabia’s public health authorities to address any concerns surrounding the outbreak.
The diplomatic protest highlights the growing tension between efforts to prevent cross-border transmission of infectious diseases and the economic and diplomatic consequences of travel restrictions imposed on affected countries.
Nairobi expressed concern on the impact of Saudi Arabia’s decision on thousands of citizens who travel to the Kingdom for religious pilgrimage, employment, education and business.
The government maintains that the containment measures undertaken, together with the absence of fresh infections, make the continued restrictions unjustified.
