Kenya’s effort to shield its citizens against
the deadly Ebola epidemic took a new turn Wednesday after a businessman accused
the US government of owning the virus that has killed more than 1,000 people in
West Africa and caused havoc in the aviation industry.
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Some of Kenya health
officers arrange a make shift Ebola screening
desk outside the
immigration offices at Kenya-Tanzania
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The sensational claim was made in suit
papers supporting businessman Joseph Enock Aura’s quest to have the High Court
throw out a case filed by the Consumers Federation of Kenya (Cofek) lobby group
seeking to compel national carrier Kenya Airways to stop flying to West African nations hit by
the Ebola epidemic.
Mr Aura told the court that the United
States government had patented the Ebola virus, its vaccine and cure in October
2012 and should be compelled to bring the health crisis to a stop instead of
targeting the national carrier.
“Ebola is patented under the United
States patent number WO 2010048615 A2 as confirmed by the US patent office and
in the same document is an explanation of a cure and vaccine for Ebobun Ebola,”
said Harrison Kinyanjui, the lawyer representing Mr Aura.
The World Health Organisation has,
however, maintained that there is no licensed cure for the deadly viral
disease.
Mr Aura has attached to his suit
papers documents showing that the US government tasked Jonathan Towner, Stuart
Nichol, James Comer, and Thomas Ksalzek Peirre Rollin, all from the state of
Georgia with the job of developing a strain of the virus, a vaccine and a cure
for it.
The document further states that the
intention of the assignment was to find a scientific method for “detection and
treatment of Ebobun infection”.
Mr Aura made the claim as Nigeria, one
of the affected West African countries, declined to use an experimental drug
from the United States. Nigeria’s Health minister Onyebuchi Chukwu said the drug
had failed to meet safety and ethical requirements.
The drug Nano Silver was developed by
Natural Solutions Foundation, an American company that claims it is capable of
curing not only Ebola, but also other communicable diseases.
High Court judge Isaac Lenaola told Mr
Aura to serve Cofek, KQ, the Attorney-General and the cabinet secretaries for
the Transport, Health and Interior ministries with his application before close
of business Wednesday.
Mr Aura argues that the matter would
not have gone before the court had it been put to the public for discussion and
determination.
“The story generated by these
proceedings has gained notoriety around the globe as an appendage of the
information about ‘Ebola’. The impression generated is that the Kenyan consumer
is actively backing these proceedings, which is certainly not the case,” the
businessman said.
The outbreak of Ebola, a deadly
haemorrhagic fever that has so far claimed more than 1200 lives in Liberia,
Sierra Leone and Guinea, has left the world with a global health crisis that
has paralysed businesses worth billions of shillings worldwide.
The served parties have until Monday
to respond to the application before hearing begins on Tuesday.
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