The gloves are off in Nairobi. Or rather the masks are on. Kenyan police have fired tear gas at demonstrators protesting against a planned US-run Ebola quarantine centre in a suburban estate.
The decision to allow the American facility has become a live grenade in Kenyan politics. Sources in the president's office say the protests carry 'real risk of contagion' of civil unrest. The optics are disastrous.
A US flag flies over a facility locals call 'the plague house'. The opposition is already sharpening its knives. They smell blood.
And with the general election just eighteen months away, every whiff of tear gas is a political weapon. The protestors claim the centre will bring the virus to their doorstep. The government insists it's for 'regional preparedness'.
Who are they preparing for? This is a classic game of politics. The PM is conspicuously silent.
His allies whisper he's 'monitoring the situation'. Translation: he wants to see which way the wind blows. The health ministry is scrambling to issue statements.
But the people on the ground are not listening. They are coughing, running, and growing angrier by the minute. The US embassy has expressed 'concern' but stopped short of suspending the project.
One junior minister told me off the record, 'We are between a rock and a hard place. And the rock is on fire.' Cabinet is divided.
Hardliners want to push through. Pragmatists want to pause. But in this game, there is no pause button.
A single misstep and the whole thing goes viral. Both literally and politically. The next few days will determine if this project is a lifeline or a noose.
Watch the backbenches. They are the ones who will signal the endgame.
