Kenya has asked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to review and lift its decision to suspend travel and arrivals from the country over the Ebola outbreak.
In a diplomatic communication, the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs expressed concern over the Saudi government’s decision, announced on Friday, October 30, 2026, to suspend travel to and arrivals from Kenya as part of measures to prevent the spread of Ebola.
The ministry acknowledged Saudi Arabia’s right to implement public health measures under its national laws but said the restrictions imposed on Kenya were disproportionate and unsupported by scientific evidence.
Kenya said it had contained the imported outbreak since the first index case was reported on October 6, 2026, with all nine confirmed cases belonging to one cluster linked to the imported case.
According to the ministry, all secondary cases were already in quarantine when they developed symptoms, with no evidence of community transmission.
The ministry further said seven patients undergoing treatment were responding well to supportive care and were expected to be discharged on November 3, 2026.
Kenya was also preparing to discharge 46 contacts from quarantine on the same date.
The ministry said all 135 contacts had been traced and monitored daily since the beginning of the outbreak. The first group completed 21 days in quarantine and was discharged on October 26, while the remaining contacts were expected to leave quarantine on November 3, provided they maintained negative status.
Kenya also reported that no new Ebola case had been recorded since October 19.
The ministry cited the World Health Organization (WHO), saying the agency had assessed Kenya’s response as professional, diligent and transparent and advised against travel or trade restrictions. It added that WHO had rated the risk outside the Democratic Republic of Congo and its neighbouring countries as low.
The ministry described the suspension of visas and the restriction on travellers who had been in Kenya during the previous 21 days as a blanket measure that went beyond what the public health situation justified.
It warned that the restrictions could affect Kenyan pilgrims, workers in Saudi Arabia, students, trade and tourism. The ministry also argued that Kenya should not be penalised for transparently reporting the outbreak to WHO within 24 hours.
Kenya has urged Saudi authorities to review and lift the restrictions.
It has also called on Saudi Arabia’s National Focal Point to notify WHO, in line with Regulation 43 of the International Health Regulations (2005), of the reasons for measures that significantly interfere with international traffic within 48 hours and review those measures within three months.
The ministry said Kenya would work with affected African countries to raise the matter with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), arguing that restrictions unsupported by scientific evidence could set a concerning precedent for travel across the continent.
Kenya also offered to provide a detailed technical briefing to the Saudi Public Health Authority on the outbreak and the country’s response.
“The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Kenya avails itself of this opportunity to renew to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia the assurances of its highest consideration,” the ministry said.
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