Kenya records second Ebola death as relative of first patient dies
The 65-year-old woman fell ill in quarantine on 13 October. Kenya still has nine confirmed cases, and seven patients remain in isolation.
Based on reporting by Citizen Digital, Capital FM and The Eastleigh Voice.
DevelopingMap of the 2026 Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in DR Congo, Uganda and Kenya, with data to 6 October 2026. Map: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / Wikimedia Commons, public domain
A 65-year-old woman being treated for Ebola has died, the Ministry of Health said on Friday evening. She is the second person to die of the disease in Kenya since the current outbreak reached the country.
Director General for Health Dr Patrick Amoth said she was the third confirmed case and a close relative of Kenya's first patient, who died on 5 October. She was already in quarantine as a direct contact when she developed symptoms on 13 October, and was admitted to an infectious disease unit the same day, where she received supportive care.
Kenya's total remains nine confirmed cases of Bundibugyo virus disease, a type of Ebola, with two deaths. The other seven patients are being treated in two isolation facilities. On Thursday the ministry had described them as stable. In Friday's statement it said patients "can change condition suddenly without warning".
The ministry said all nine cases belong to one cluster of known contacts and that there is still no evidence of the virus spreading in the community. It said trained teams are arranging a safe burial with the family.
The ministry urged the public not to touch the blood or body fluids of sick people or handle the bodies of people who died of a suspected illness, and to seek care quickly for fever, weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding. Readers should rely on the Ministry of Health for official updates.
