Kenya: No, Photo Does Not Show Ebola Patients Arriving in Kenya From U.S.

No, photo does not show Ebola patients arriving in Kenya from US

IN SHORT: Online posts falsely claim a photo shows Ebola patients from the US being welcomed to Kenya. But the image is from a 2018 photo, with no reports of any Ebola cases or arrivals in Kenya in 2026, at time of publication.

Several online posts circulating in Kenya since late May 2026 use this photo to claim that it shows Ebola patients from the US have arrived in the country.

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The image shows a passenger aircraft on an airport tarmac, with a red carpet rolled out as traditionally dressed dancers appear to perform for the disembarking passengers.

The claim emerged amid public concern after reports that the US was planning to send individuals exposed to Ebola to Kenya for observation or treatment. US and Kenyan officials have confirmed the controversial plan.

The reports sparked debate online, with some Kenyans, including in the online posts, believing the arrivals had already begun and questioning whether the country's health system could safely handle such cases.

Ebola is a serious viral disease spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated objects. Patients are treated under strict infection-control measures, including isolation and protective equipment for healthcare workers.

At least one person from the US has been linked to the outbreak response. A US doctor who contracted Ebola while working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was evacuated to Germany, not Kenya, for treatment.

At the time of publication, Kenya had not reported any confirmed Ebola cases linked to the outbreaks in the DRC and Uganda. Instead, authorities have announced heightened surveillance, including airport screening and border monitoring.

But is the photo authentic evidence that Ebola patients are already arriving in Kenya from the US? We checked.

Old photo taken in 2018

A Google reverse image search showed that the photo is not recent. It was taken in 2018 during celebrations marking the first direct Kenya Airways flight between Nairobi and New York City.

At the time, dancers welcomed ordinary passengers travellers at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The passengers were not patients of any kind.

There are also no visible signs of a medical emergency, such as ambulances, quarantine facilities, healthcare workers in protective gear or any isolation procedures, as would be expected in the event of an Ebola-related transfer.

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We further did not find any announcements from the government or any airline confirming the arrival of Ebola-infected patients from the US in Kenya.

On 29 May 2026, a Kenyan court stopped the opening of the facilities until a case challenging it was determined.

The online claims misrepresent an old photo to falsely link it to ongoing debates about Ebola preparedness and US-Kenyan health cooperation.