Kenya has formally protested Israel’s decision to impose travel restrictions on its citizens, calling the move unjustified and inconsistent with the country’s clean public health record on Ebola.
Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs Korir Sing’oei issued the protest on Monday, June 15, describing Kenya’s inclusion on Israel’s travel ban list as deeply unfortunate — particularly given the country’s active role in regional Ebola surveillance and response.
“Kenya strongly protests the decision by Israel to include the country amongst those whose travellers it will restrict,” Sing’oei said. “This is unfortunate given Kenya’s support to regional surveillance and response to Ebola. With over 80,000 tests, no case of Ebola has been reported in Kenya.”
The protest follows a directive issued by Israel’s Border Control Department on June 10, instructing airlines to deny boarding to foreign nationals from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on all flights bound for Israel. The restrictions also cover any foreign national — regardless of their citizenship — who has visited any of the five listed countries within 21 days prior to departure.
“Airlines must question every foreign passenger prior to boarding, which includes verifying whether they have stayed in any of the restricted countries listed above during the past 21 days. If the answer is affirmative, they must not be permitted to board the flight to Israel,” the Israeli authority’s notice stated.
Israeli citizens and permanent residents are exempted from the measures.
The Israeli directive cited fears over the spread of the Ebola virus in parts of Africa, mirroring moves by other countries — including the United States and the United Arab Emirates — which have also tightened travel screening for passengers arriving from affected regions. Israeli health officials acknowledged that the risk to the public remains low, but stressed that Ebola’s high fatality rate and complex treatment requirements demand continuous preparedness.
Nairobi, however, maintains that its inclusion in the list is unwarranted. Kenyan health authorities have in recent weeks strengthened border screening, expanded laboratory testing capacity, and scaled up emergency preparedness measures in response to outbreaks in neighbouring countries — all without recording a single confirmed case.
The diplomatic row places Kenya in an awkward position as the government seeks to defend its public health credibility on the global stage. PS Sing’oei’s statement signals that Nairobi will push back against what it regards as blanket restrictions that ignore evidence-based public health data.
Israel has not indicated when the restrictions will be lifted, stating that future decisions will depend on how the Ebola situation in the region evolves.
