This archive report was first published on 26 June 2020.
On June 26, 2020, the government of Kenya made a decision to allow at least 400 truck drivers stranded at the Mai Mahiu dry port to proceed with their journey without undergoing Covid-19 testing.
The drivers had been stranded for a week due to a lack of testing kits and reagents at the newly opened Inland Container Depot.
Naivasha sub-County Commissioner Mathioya Mbogo explained that the drivers would be tested along the country's border points before delivering their cargoes to the respective destinations in neighboring countries.
Mathioya admitted that the continued stay of the drivers in the town posed a major risk to area residents, citing the high number of positive cases reported in Naivasha as coming from the drivers in Mai Mahiu.
“Most of the positive cases reported in Naivasha have come from the drivers in Mai Mahiu and their continued stay in the area puts the lives of residents in great danger,” Mathioya said.
According to Nakuru County Executive Committee Member in charge of Health Kariuki Gichuki, the drivers together with motorcycle operators and commercial sex workers posed a major threat to the fight against the spread of the disease.
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