A new survey shows that fear of disease spread is the dominant concern among Kenyans regarding the proposed Ebola treatment facility, highlighting the challenge authorities face in building public confidence around the project.
According to the GeoPoll survey released on June 3, nearly two-thirds of respondents (64 per cent) cited the risk of disease spread as their biggest concern.
This far outweighed other worries, including safety and security concerns (15 per cent), foreign influence or control (8 per cent), lack of transparency (7 per cent), and misuse of funds (4 per cent).
Only 3 per cent of respondents said they had no concerns about the proposed facility.
The findings suggest that public anxiety is driven primarily by fears of a potential outbreak rather than governance or financial issues.
The results underscore the need for authorities to communicate clearly how the facility would operate, the safety measures that would be put in place, and how risks to surrounding communities would be managed.
The survey also indicates that awareness of the proposal is already relatively high. About 67 per cent of respondents said they had heard a lot about the proposed Ebola facility, while a further 25 per cent said they had heard a little. This means that more than nine in ten respondents were aware of the proposal to some degree before sharing their views.
