Kenya has confirmed its first case of Ebola after a patient who travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo died in a Nairobi hospital on Monday night. Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale announced the case on Tuesday.

The patient was a Kenyan man who had lived in Congo for seven years. He fell ill about a month ago and was treated at several hospitals there. He then travelled by road to Kampala in Uganda and flew to Nairobi on a Jambojet flight that landed on Saturday.

He passed routine health screening at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. A relative and a friend then drove him to Nairobi Hospital, where staff isolated him. Tests confirmed the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. He died around 11.30 pm despite treatment.

Officials have identified 28 contacts, including family members and health workers. They are also tracing 23 passengers and four crew from the flight. The patient will be buried on Tuesday under Ebola safety rules.

Congo is fighting its largest Ebola outbreak on record, with more than 8,000 cases and over 4,000 deaths. Duale urged the public not to panic, saying Kenya was on high alert.