NAIROBI, Kenya Oct 7 – Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale says Kenya does not have an Ebola outbreak, describing the confirmed case as an imported infection involving a patient who travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).Duale said the government had put in place Ebola preparedness measures months before the case was detected in Kenya, following confirmation of the outbreak in the DRC in May 2026.Speaking on NTV’s Fixing the Nation on Wednesday, Duale said about 650,000 passengers had been screened across Kenya’s 15 points of entry as part of efforts to prevent the virus from spreading into the country.“We don’t have an Ebola outbreak in Kenya, what we have is an imported Ebola incident just like what happened in Germany or France,” Duale said.He said Kenya had not been caught off guard by the threat, unlike the experience at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.“Since May of 2026, when the Ebola outbreak was confirmed and announced by both WHO and Africa CDC, we were not caught off guard like COVID,” he said.Duale said 4,900 healthcare workers had been trained to manage Ebola cases, while 276 suspected cases had been tested and returned negative results.“We have put in place enough preparedness as a country, 650,000 passengers screened across all our 15 entry points, 4,900 healthcare workers trained to deal with Ebola, and 276 cases tested negative,” he said.The CS said health authorities had established the patient’s movements from the DRC to Kenya, allowing them to classify the case as imported.“This patient is imported because we can define his pathway, how he came from northwestern Congo, DRC, to Kisangani, Beni, Kinshasa, Kampala and Kenya,” Duale said.He also suggested that medication the patient was taking while travelling may have affected his detection by thermal scanners at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.“When he came to Kenya he was on medication and must have taken heavy medications that helped him not to be detected at our thermal scanners at JKIA,” he said.The Ministry of Health has continued contact tracing and surveillance while strengthening screening at points of entry to prevent further transmission.Nairobi County has meanwhile intensified its Ebola preparedness and response measures across all 17 sub-counties following confirmation of the imported case in the capital.Governor Johnson Sakaja said the county had strengthened disease surveillance, contact tracing, isolation capacity and emergency response systems.Sakaja said 923 health workers and 1,598 Community Health Promoters had undergone specialised training on the early detection, identification and reporting of suspected Ebola cases.More than 60 laboratory officers have also been trained on the safe collection and handling of samples.Rapid Response Teams have been activated across all 17 sub-counties, with the county Emergency Operations Centre coordinating surveillance, case reporting, contact tracing and emergency interventions.Sakaja urged residents to remain vigilant while avoiding panic, saying cooperation with health officials would be critical in containing the threat.“Our message to Nairobi residents is clear: remain alert, remain calm and cooperate with our health teams. There is no need for panic, but we must all take the necessary precautions and report suspected cases early,” Sakaja said.Kenya is continuing surveillance and contact-tracing operations as health authorities work to prevent further transmission of the Ebola virus.