Hundreds of Kenyan youths protested outside the Laikipia Air Base on Monday against the planned establishment of an isolation and quarantine facility in the East African country for Americans who have been exposed to the Ebola virus.

The demonstrators chanted slogans as they held tree branches, Kenyan flags, placards and banners that read, “Laikipia is not a quarantine zone; we reject this move” and “He wants to kill us through Ebola; let’s fight for our rights,” among others.

Armed military officers blocked the protesters from accessing the base in Nanyuki, about 125 miles north of Nairobi, where the proposed 50-bed facility is to be located.

The demonstration came days after Kenyan High Court Judge Patricia Nyaund ordered the suspension of the quarantine facility, which is to be operated by U.S. 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.”

Ms Nyaund suspended the operations of any Ebola care centre in Kenya operated by foreign countries until the case is resolved.

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.

The Kenyan health ministry on Saturday confirmed the establishment of the facility and said it would “support enhanced surveillance and diagnostic capacity,” amid opposition from lawyers and civil society organisations who said it posed risks to citizens.

“In partnership with the United States government, Kenya is also establishing a similar facility at a military installation in Laikipia to strengthen monitoring, isolation, and emergency response capacity,” the ministry said, a day after the court ruling.

The ministry also said the government was establishing several other isolation and treatment centres, including at Nairobi’s Kenyatta National Hospital and the Kenya National Police Hospital.

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

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said at a cabinet meeting last Wednesday that “we cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States.”