The patient had lived in the DRC for seven years and fell ill about a month before travelling to Kenya, Health Minister Aden Duale said Tuesday.
The patient was treated at several hospitals in the DRC before travelling by road to Kampala, Uganda. From Kampala, he boarded Jambojet flight 8523 and arrived in Nairobi on October 3.
Duale said the patient underwent routine health screening at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) before being taken by a relative and a friend to Nairobi Hospital.
He was initially isolated in the hospital’s emergency room before being transferred to an isolation facility in the East Wing, which had been used during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Medical tests were conducted after doctors identified symptoms consistent with viral haemorrhagic fever.
The patient presented with fever, intense fatigue, weakness, muscle pain, painful swallowing, sore throat and bleeding under the skin at the injection site.
“Doctors suspected a viral haemorrhagic fever based on his symptoms and travel history and collected samples for testing. The sample tested positive for Ebola Bundibugyo virus,” Duale said.
Despite receiving supportive treatment, the patient died at 11:30 pm on Monday.
His burial is planned for Tuesday under public health protocols intended to prevent further transmission.
Kenyan health authorities have identified 28 people who had contact with the patient, including relatives and healthcare workers. They are also tracing 23 passengers and four crew members who were on the Jambojet flight from Kampala to Nairobi.
Duale said arrangements had been made to quarantine people considered to be at risk as authorities step up efforts to contain the disease.
Kenya’s confirmation comes as the DRC continues to battle an outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which was declared in May. As of October 2, the DRC had reported 8,442 confirmed cases and 4,080 deaths, making it the country’s largest Ebola outbreak on record.
Uganda also reported cases linked to the outbreak earlier this year, including two deaths, but was declared Ebola-free in August.
The Bundibugyo virus is a relatively rare strain of Ebola. The disease can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, bleeding.
Kenyan authorities have maintained heightened surveillance since the outbreak was declared in the DRC.
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