Nine Kenyans who were evacuated from Liberia on Tuesday night have tested negative for Ebola and for the Marburg virus.

The Kenyans, who had been stranded in the West African nation for two months after the national carrier, Kenya Airways, suspended flights to West Africa following the Ebola outbreak, were quarantined upon arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for a screening that lasted for five hours.

The group has been freed and allowed to re-unite with their families and friends after they were declared free of Ebola but the Ministry Of Health has through a press statement said that they will be monitored for the next 21 days for any signs of the disease.

“The families have also been given information on symptoms and signs of Ebola and have been requested to report immediately should they start to feel unwell,” read part of the statement.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry had announced last week that plans were underway to have the Kenyans evacuated this week.

The Ebola epidemic has killed more than 5,000 people this year, mostly in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia with the latter being the worst hit nation so far.

Kenya has suffered several Ebola scares but no incident has been reported yet in the country even though The World Health Organisation has identified the country as a high-risk zone for Ebola.

The government has been putting up measures to ensure that the country is prepared to handle any cases that might emerge and last week, President Uhuru Kenyatta assured tourists that Kenya is free of Ebola and is capable of controlling the disease in the unfortunate event of a breakout.