Saudi Arabia has suspended the issuance of all categories of visas to travellers coming from Kenya and barred them from entering the Kingdom, in the toughest foreign response yet to Kenya's Ebola outbreak.

The measures, announced on Friday by the Saudi Public Health Authority, known as Weqaya, and carried by the Saudi Press Agency, also stop Saudi citizens from travelling to Kenya. The entry ban covers anyone who was in Kenya, or in any other Ebola-affected country, during the 21 days before arriving in Saudi Arabia, including travellers who try to enter through a third country.

What the Saudi authorities said

According to the statement, the decision followed an assessment of the epidemiological situation by Saudi health officials and is meant to reduce the risk of the virus reaching the Kingdom. The authority said it had taken "precautionary measures to mitigate the risks of an Ebola virus outbreak."

Weqaya said the health situation inside Saudi Arabia remains stable and under continuous monitoring, and warned that further measures could follow if the situation changes. The statement did not say how long the suspension will last or whether any category of traveller, such as pilgrims or workers already holding visas, is exempt.

Saudi Arabia says its framework for managing infectious disease risks from travellers dates back to July 2019 and was tightened in May 2026 after the current Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In June, the Kingdom suspended travel to and arrivals from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan.

A blow to Kenyans headed to the Gulf

The ban is a major setback for the hundreds of Kenyans who travel to Saudi Arabia every month, many of them domestic and casual workers recruited through agencies, as well as Muslims planning Umrah pilgrimages. Saudi Arabia is one of the leading destinations for Kenyan migrant workers, and remittances from the Gulf are an important source of household income.

As of Saturday morning, the Kenyan government had not publicly responded to the decision.

Where Kenya's outbreak stands

Kenya confirmed its first Ebola case on 6 October in a Kenyan man who had been living in the DRC and travelled home through Uganda, arriving in Nairobi on 3 October. He died at Nairobi Hospital two days later. Eight more people, among them relatives and health workers who treated him, later tested positive, bringing the total to nine confirmed cases and two deaths, all linked to the same cluster.

The Ministry of Health says no new case has been recorded for more than ten days. Twenty contacts were released from quarantine on 26 October after completing 21 days of monitoring, while the rest are due to be discharged in phases. The country can only be declared Ebola-free after 42 days without new transmission, counted from when the last patient recovers or is safely buried.

Saudi Arabia's move contrasts with the position Kenya took at an emergency virtual meeting of African health ministers this week, where Health Director General Dr Patrick Amoth said Kenya would keep travel and trade open and would not impose restrictions beyond what the International Health Regulations and the evidence require.

The public can report suspected Ebola cases through the toll-free line 719, by dialling *719# or via WhatsApp on 0700 719 719.

Photos: Kenyans.co.ke (Ministry of Interior); The Eastleigh Voice. Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.