Several protesters were arrested in Kenya on Tuesday during demonstrations against a proposed Ebola quarantine centre being built for United States citizens in the tourist town of Nanyuki.

The facility, located at Laikipia Air Base near Mount Kenya, is expected to quarantine Americans arriving from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where a major Ebola outbreak is ongoing.

The planned centre is designed to contain 50 isolation beds and will reportedly be managed by US personnel.

Dozens of demonstrators gathered near the base carrying placards, wearing protective suits and displaying a symbolic coffin marked “Ebola” to express opposition to the project.

Police reportedly fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, while several protesters were arrested during the demonstration.

One protester, Zipporah Wachira, said many Kenyans feared the country could be exposed to the deadly virus despite never recording a single Ebola case.

“We don’t have that disease in this country… they are bringing a virus into our country,” she said.

The project has continued to face opposition from local politicians and residents in Laikipia, despite support from the government of President William Ruto.

Ruto defended the partnership with the United States, saying Kenya has benefited from decades of American health assistance.

“The American people and government have been partners with us on matters of health for close to 25-30 years,” Ruto said last week.

Kenya’s Health Ministry has insisted the facility would also benefit Kenyan citizens and improve the country’s Ebola preparedness capacity.

The United States has pledged about $13.5 million toward Kenya’s Ebola preparedness programme.

The protests come amid growing public concern over a previous health agreement between Kenya and the US involving the sharing of health data in exchange for aid support.

According to the World Health Organization, the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo has recorded more than 500 confirmed infections and over 90 deaths.

So far, neighbouring Uganda is the only country outside DR Congo to report confirmed Ebola cases linked to the outbreak.