Kenya’s health minister said on Wednesday that a US-funded Ebola quarantine centre at Laikipia Air Base will proceed, dismissing deadly protests that killed two people and a court order temporarily blocking the project. Aden Duale told parliament the facility would serve both Kenyan and US nationals and that the government would not halt construction.

The US-built isolation centre was due to open last week to quarantine Americans arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is battling a major Ebola outbreak. Many Kenyans have expressed anger over what they see as colonial undertones and the risk of Ebola spreading from the base, located about 200 kilometres north of Nairobi.

Duale rejected claims the centre would be exclusive to foreigners. “Quarantine is not only for Americans. Even Kenyans will be isolated at the facility,” he said. He added that Laikipia is one of 23 quarantine isolation centres under construction and that the project would not stop. The facility is set to have 50 isolation beds managed by US medical staff, part of a 2015 agreement under Washington’s Biological Threat Reduction Program.

The minister stressed there would be no public consultation, calling the situation “very abnormal.” “This epidemic does not require any consultation,” Duale said. Kenya has recorded no Ebola cases despite testing arrivals, while neighbouring Uganda has registered 15 cases and one death. Duale’s remarks signal the government’s determination to push ahead with the project despite local opposition and legal hurdles.