Kenya's health minister told a court on Tuesday he has ordered a halt to preparations for a US-run Ebola quarantine facility, after being held in contempt for ignoring a previous stop-work order. Aden Duale apologized and said he had ordered the immediate cessation of all construction and site preparation at the Laikipia air base facility pending a court hearing.

The facility, announced in May, was built to quarantine US citizens evacuated from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is grappling with a large-scale Ebola outbreak. It includes about 50 isolation beds and was expected to be managed by US medical staff. The project has sparked deadly protests, with three people killed in unrest near the base.

Kenya's government had previously ignored a high court order to stop work. Rights groups petitioned the court, arguing the facility was being developed secretly and without public consultation. On Monday, the court held Duale in contempt for failing to respond to the order, and he was due to appear for sentencing before his apology.

Many Kenyans oppose the facility, citing the risk of importing a highly contagious disease into a country that has never recorded an Ebola case. Critics also view the US-backed project as having colonial overtones. The US has pledged $13.5 million to support Kenya's Ebola preparedness, but opposition remains strong.

Source: www.theguardian.com