The Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) has dismissed reports circulating on social media that it is treating an Ebola patient, clarifying that the individual in question is under quarantine as a precautionary measure after being identified as a contact of a suspected case.
Speaking on Thursday, October 22, 2026, MTRH Chief Executive Officer Dr Philip Kirwa said the hospital does not have any confirmed Ebola patient.
“I have seen a lot of reports claiming that MTRH has a patient on treatment for Ebola. I want to state that we do not have an Ebola patient,” said Dr Kirwa in a phone interview.
Is MTRH treating an Ebola patient?
He explained that the patient currently under observation was placed in quarantine after travelling on the same flight as a suspected Ebola case who arrived in Kenya from Uganda through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). According to the CEO, the individual has been in Kenya for the past three weeks and has not exhibited any symptoms associated with Ebola.
Dr Kirwa further revealed that tests conducted so far have returned negative results.
“The patient has no symptoms and earlier tests were negative. A final test will be conducted tomorrow and, if it also returns negative, she will be released to go home,” he said.
The hospital boss emphasised that the quarantine measures were taken purely as a public health precaution aimed at safeguarding the wider community.
“Essentially, we do not have an Ebola patient, but rather a contact who has been placed under quarantine for the purpose of protecting the public,” Dr Kirwa added.
Ebola cases in Kenya
The clarification comes amid growing public concern fueled by reports suggesting that an Ebola patient was receiving treatment at the Eldoret-based referral facility. Health officials have urged the public to rely on information from authorised sources and avoid spreading unverified claims that could cause unnecessary panic.
As of 20 October 2026, Kenya had confirmed nine Ebola cases, all linked to a single cluster traced to the country’s first imported case. The index patient, a Kenyan who had travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo through Uganda, died in Nairobi on 5 October after testing positive for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.
