Kenyans have been urged to avoid large public gatherings, handshakes and hugs as the country intensifies measures to contain its first confirmed imported case of Ebola.
Speaking during a television interview on Tuesday night, October 6, 2026, Director-General for Health Dr Patrick Amoth said Kenya remained in the response phase and warned that large gatherings could increase opportunities for contact and potential transmission of the disease.
“We are still in the response phase, and we really discourage large gatherings because they are a potential source of contact and therefore spread of the disease,” Amoth said
He also urged Kenyans to adopt alternative ways of greeting, including waving, instead of physical contact.
“I want to appeal to Kenyans going forward: we can avoid handshakes and hugging; we can just wave,” he said.
Amoth said the advisory applies to different types of gatherings, including political events and family functions, which he described as potential hotspots for disease transmission.
“Gatherings are potential hotspots for the spread of the disease, and they are discouraged, whether they are political or family gatherings,” he said.
