The Ministry of Health reported that the man is not a healthcare worker but was linked to Kenya's first Ebola case: a man who traveled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to Nairobi and died on October 5. The eighth case follows four new cases reported on Saturday, three of whom were health workers who treated the first patient, and the fourth was a relative of the deceased patient.
The current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is no vaccine or specific treatment. Kenya has been on heightened alert as the outbreak has spilled across the border from the DRC, where it has become the deadliest in the country's history, with at least 9,400 cases and more than 4,500 deaths since it began in May. Ituri Province in eastern DRC remains the epicenter, accounting for nearly three-quarters of confirmed cases.
On Sunday, DRC announced that the virus had reached an eighth province, North Ubangi. In North Kivu province, where the World Health Organization reports substantial ongoing transmission, authorities are introducing a one-week ban on people entering from Ituri, along with restrictions on vehicle passenger numbers and suspension of large public gatherings.
Neighboring Uganda recorded 20 confirmed cases earlier this year, 15 of which were imported from the DRC, and two deaths before it was declared Ebola-free in August 2026.