Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei has weighed in on concerns over travel restrictions and border closures after Kenya confirmed its ninth Ebola case, maintaining that stronger surveillance and preventive measures are preferable to shutting down borders.
During an interview on Wednesday, October 21, he defended the United States’ decision to raise Kenya’s travel advisory from Level 2 to Level 3 amid the Ebola outbreak, saying countries are entitled to caution their citizens about health risks.
Sing’oei clarified that while the advisory urges Americans to reconsider travel to Kenya, it does not prohibit visitors from entering the country.
“The United States is duty-bound to advise its citizens with respect to decisions that it deems important. Level 3 is more of a caution and there are no implications with respect to barring travellers coming from Kenya associated with that advisory,” he stated.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei speaks during a leadership meeting on rebuilding trust in global institutions in Nairobi on Thursday, October 15, 2026.
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ALADI
He described Ebola as a sensitive issue that requires countries to inform their citizens while balancing public health concerns against the economic effects of travel restrictions.
However, the PS also stressed the need for governments to adopt measures proportionate to the actual risk of infection.
He maintained that preventive measures and sustained surveillance were preferable to shutting down borders, provided the systems remained rigorous at every entry point.
Sing’oei warned that restrictive policies could carry economic consequences for travel, trade, tourism, education and social services.
In the case of the patient who introduced Ebola into Kenya, the PS noted that the individual had passed through surveillance systems in several countries.
He said Kenya and other countries remain vulnerable when surveillance systems fail to detect infected travellers moving across borders.
Thus, Sing’oei called for stronger international cooperation, improved border monitoring and information sharing to limit further transmission.
“Unless we are able to have similar standards and the same level of rigour with respect to dealing with these issues, we are all exposed. The need for global co-operation to address Ebola has never been greater,” he said.
His remarks come after the US raised its advisory on October 19, citing terrorism, kidnapping, violent crime and health concerns linked to Ebola.
El Salvador also made a decision to restrict entry for nationals arriving from or transiting through Kenya, alongside eight other African countries including Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Angola and the Central African Republic (CAR), over Ebola concerns.
Meanwhile, as Kenya confirmed its ninth Ebola case on October 20, the Ministry of Health reported that all infections belonged to one known cluster and that there was no evidence of transmission beyond it.
Red Cross Society workers wearing personal protective equipment gathered after handling the coffin of a man who died of Ebola.
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CNBC Africa