Kenya has stepped up emergency health measures after confirming its first imported Ebola case, following the death of a Kenyan man who had recently travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo through Uganda.

The patient arrived in Nairobi after travelling overland from eastern Congo to Kampala before taking a flight to Kenya. He was later isolated at a Nairobi hospital, where tests confirmed Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease. He died shortly afterward.

Kenyan authorities have launched an expanded contact-tracing operation. Family members, health workers and passengers who may have been exposed are being monitored or quarantined, while health officials have increased surveillance at points of entry.

President William Ruto has ordered the National Security Council Committee to assess the situation and recommend additional measures to prevent further transmission. Officials have stressed that the confirmed case was imported and that Kenya does not currently have a wider Ebola outbreak.

The case has nevertheless raised fresh concerns about border screening and regional disease surveillance, particularly because the patient travelled through multiple countries before reaching Nairobi.

Kenya’s response over the coming days will be closely watched as authorities work to trace contacts and prevent the imported case from developing into wider transmission.