A Kenyan High Court has ordered the suspension of a United States plan to establish an isolation and quarantine facility in the East African country for Americans who have been exposed to the Ebola virus. 

The proposed 50-bed facility is to be located at Laikipia Air Base, about 125 miles north of Nairobi, and operated by American public health professionals.

The ruling followed a petition by the rights group Katiba Institute, which warned that the centre “raises grave constitutional concerns regarding the rights to life, health, fair administrative action, public participation, and parliamentary oversight.”

Judge Patricia Nyaund, on Friday, suspended the operations of any Ebola care centre in Kenya operated by foreign countries until the case is resolved.

Ms Nyaund said the plan posed threats to life amid the growing outbreak of Ebola caused by Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD), which has no treatment or vaccine.

She set June 2 as the hearing date.

According to U.S. officials, the centre aims to care for Americans who have been exposed to the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda but who show no symptoms. 

Officials said symptomatic patients would receive care at other facilities, with plans underway to determine locations in Europe.

The facility was to begin operations on Friday, according to U.S. officials who said more than 30 health workers had been trained.

“Treatment capabilities at the facility are expected to be able to care for the full spectrum of Ebola virus disease, including critical care needs, though each case will be evaluated for forward transport for more advanced care as appropriate in order to maximise patient outcomes,” a Trump administration official previously told CNN. 

The Kenyan government approved the plan, according to multiple reports. However, doctors, civil society organisations and lawyers in the East African country have criticised the plan, arguing that Kenya, which has no confirmed cases, could also be exposed to risks.

This comes amid growing concerns about the Ebola outbreak, with more than 1,000 suspected cases and 246 deaths recorded since the outbreak in the DRC.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that “We cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States,” days after a U.S. surgeon in the DRC, who contracted the disease, was moved to Germany for treatment.

On Thursday, the U.S. pledged $13.5 million to support Kenya’s preparedness efforts to address the Ebola virus outbreak.

“The United States government intends to commit $13.5 million toward Kenya’s Ebola preparedness efforts and has already committed to providing $112 million in bilateral assistance to the regional response,” Mr Rubio’s spokesperson, Tommy Pigott, said in a statement on Thursday.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on May 17 declared the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda a “public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).”