Preliminary laboratory results on a sample from a Kenyan patient who was suspected of having Ebola have come back negative, the governor of the county where he is being treated said on Thursday.

Kenya reported its first-ever Ebola case on Tuesday after a citizen who had travelled from Democratic Republic of Congo died of the virus in Nairobi.

There were fears the patient being treated in Wajir County could be the second case. 

The patient is a 20-year-old male with travel history from Democratic Republic of Congo through Uganda to Kenya, like the patient who died.

Samples were sent to a laboratory in Nairobi to be tested for Ebola Virus Disease.

"I am pleased to report that the preliminary laboratory results indicate that the sample is NEGATIVE for Ebola," the Wajir County governor said in a statement.

Kenya is the fourth country to record a case linked to the Ebola epidemic in eastern Congo, the second-largest on record with more than 8 000 cases.

The Kenyan case has exposed lapses in border screening systems, as the patient was able to pass through multiple airport temperature checks.