Two people shot dead amid Kenya protests against US Ebola quarantine centre plan

Two people have been shot dead in the central Kenyan town of Nanyuki amid protests against US plans to establish an Ebola isolation centre at a military base nearby, the BBC has learnt.

One of the victims was shot in an area close to the Laikipia Airbase where a demonstration was taking place. He died after being brought to the town’s hospital by friends.

The other victim was already dead when he was taken to the hospital by soldiers.

The circumstances of their deaths are not clear, and officials have not commented on the matter. A police spokesman told the Reuters news agency he was not aware of any deaths.

On Monday, hundreds of demonstrators marched through the town’s streets, blocking roads and burning tyres, with police firing tear gas to disperse them.

Community leader Patrick Wahome told the BBC that one of those who died was shot when he “was heading home after closing his business”.

The BBC has been unable to confirm the circumstances in which the second man died. Both bodies, which are in the hospital morgue, appear to have gunshot wounds – one in the chest and the other on the shoulder.

The US plan to establish an Ebola treatment facility in Kenya has sparked public concern about cross-border infection risks.