Uganda keeps DRC border curbs as Ebola prompts travel bans on Kenya

Uganda has restricted movement across its border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and is quarantining returning nationals, measures announced on 25 October to keep Ebola out of the country. At the same time, travellers with recent links to Kenya face a widening set of international restrictions after an imported Ebola case there.

Key facts

• Uganda limited cross-border movement with the DRC to essential personnel on 25 October
• Ugandan nationals returning from the DRC must complete 21 days of quarantine at their own expense
• Travellers who have recently visited the DRC are barred from transiting through Uganda
• Saudi Arabia suspended travel to Kenya and halted visa issuance to travellers from Kenya on 30 October
• Kenya recorded nine confirmed Ebola cases and two deaths by 25 October
• The World Health Organisation (WHO) advises against travel and trade restrictions on affected countries

What is changing at Uganda's border with the DRC?

Movement between Uganda and the DRC is now limited to essential personnel, including humanitarian workers and truck drivers, who must undergo health screening. Non-essential Congolese travellers are being turned back.

Ugandan nationals returning from the DRC must complete 21 days of quarantine at their own expense. Travellers with a recent history of visiting the DRC are also barred from transiting through Uganda.

The measures respond to sustained transmission in the DRC, where the outbreak has spread across eight provinces.

Which countries are restricting travellers from Kenya?

Saudi Arabia announced on 30 October that it would suspend travel by its citizens to Kenya, halt visa issuance to people arriving from Kenya and prohibit entry by anyone who stayed in Kenya or another country experiencing an active Ebola outbreak in the preceding 21 days, including those arriving through third countries. The Saudi Press Agency said the measures build on restrictions Riyadh introduced in June covering the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan.

Madagascar introduced restrictions effective 1 November covering travellers who had stayed in or transited through Kenya, Nigeria and the DRC within the preceding 21 days, with certain categories of travellers still eligible to enter under quarantine conditions. Kuwait has introduced aviation restrictions affecting travellers originating from Kenya, and El Salvador has declared inadmissible travellers arriving from or transiting through eight African countries, including Kenya and Uganda.

The United States issued a Level 3 travel advisory on 19 October telling its citizens to reconsider travel to Kenya; this is not an immigration ban on Kenyans. South Korea has introduced enhanced health screening for travellers arriving from Kenya.

What is the outbreak situation in Kenya and Uganda?

Kenya's first patient was a Kenyan man living in the DRC who travelled to Kenya through Uganda. He died on 5 October, and tests confirmed the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. Eight further infections were identified among relatives and healthcare workers linked to him, bringing the total to nine confirmed cases and two deaths by 25 October. The last confirmed case was reported on 20 October, and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said there was no evidence of wider community transmission.

Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni said "Kenya is making progress in containing the Ebola outbreak, with no new cases reported in the last 10 days." The Ministry of Health said contacts who completed the mandatory 21-day monitoring period without symptoms were being released from surveillance.

Uganda reported 20 confirmed cases and two deaths during its own 2026 Bundibugyo outbreak. Its last confirmed case was reported on 21 June, and the outbreak was subsequently declared over.

What health authorities are advising

In its 23 October outbreak update covering the DRC, Kenya and Nigeria, the WHO said it "advises against any restriction of travel to, or trade with, affected countries." It called instead for stronger surveillance, early detection, contact tracing, preparedness at points of entry and cross-border cooperation. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has similarly warned that blanket travel restrictions are not supported by public-health evidence.

The International Health Regulations (2005) allow governments to apply additional health measures, but Article 43 requires measures that significantly interfere with international traffic to be backed by a public-health rationale and scientific evidence, with reasons provided to the WHO.

What this means for travellers

Anyone planning to cross between Uganda and the DRC should expect movement to be limited to essential personnel and health screening. Ugandan nationals returning from the DRC need to plan for 21 days of quarantine at their own expense, and travellers who have recently visited the DRC cannot transit through Uganda.

Travellers who have been in Kenya, the DRC, Nigeria, Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days should check the rules of their destination before booking, since several countries apply restrictions based on travel history rather than nationality. Requirements differ by country, ranging from entry bans and quarantine to screening and travel advisories.

No review dates have been announced for the measures. The WHO can recommend that governments reconsider restrictions but cannot compel them to withdraw these.