Kenya police fire tear gas at protest over US Ebola center

Kenyan police fired tear gas early Tuesday to break up a protest against a planned Ebola quarantine center for US citizens in the central town of Nanyuki.

Small groups of demonstrators gathered near the site of the proposed 50-bed facility at Laikipia Air Base. Some of them wore protective medical uniforms, waved Kenyan flags and carried a coffin with “Ebola” written on it. The AFP news agency reported that several people were arrested.

The site, which lies about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital, Nairobi, is to be managed by US staff and host Americans exposed to Ebola in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kenya has no recorded Ebola cases, and plans for the facility have angered many locals who say it could bring the virus into the country.

US officials say only those who are asymptomatic would stay at the isolation center, while anyone with symptoms would be sent to other countries for care.

The controversial site also sparked protests earlier this month. Rights groups reported two people died in those demonstrations.

Read more: Deutsche Welle