This archive report was first published on 4 July 2020.
Published on July 4, 2020, the Miritini center in Mombasa will see an enhancement in Covid-19 testing for cargo truck drivers to ease congestion and reduce delays.
East African Community and Regional Development Cabinet Secretary Adan Mohammed announced the move during the launch of the Northern Corridor Covid-19 sensitization campaigns from Mombasa to Malaba, which will run for 14 days.
The delays at the Miritini testing center were caused by the large number of drivers cleared by the port, exceeding the facility's capacity to test 100 drivers a day.
According to CS Mohammed, he will contact his Health counterpart, Mutahi Kagwe, to increase the testing capacity for drivers at the facility.
CS Mohammed attributed the delays at Malaba to the number of drivers leaving the port to go test at the border, assuring them that they will now be tested at the Miritini center before embarking on their journeys with health certificates for Covid-19.
He also announced that road block checks at Athi River will be removed, allowing drivers to travel from Mombasa to Malaba uninterrupted, as they will have valid certificates.
Mombasa County CEC in charge of health, Hazel Koitaba, noted that challenges in getting testing kits had contributed to the delays.
She also highlighted that some drivers had been making fake certificates to avoid being returned at border points.
Truck drivers' representative, Roman Waema, expressed concerns about the challenges they faced at the borders of neighboring countries.
Waema announced that they will embark on a sensitization campaign for the safety of drivers, starting from Monday.
