This archive report was first published on 7 August 2020.
Published on August 7, 2020, Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia has reaffirmed Kenya's commitment to prioritizing the health of its citizens over commercial interests in the ongoing negotiations with Tanzania for the resumption of Kenya Airways flights to Dar es Salaam.
Speaking to the Nation, Mr. Macharia emphasized that the Kenyan government will not compromise on health matters, citing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as a matter of life and death.
'We are not going to put commercial interests ahead of health matters. Commercial interests are subordinated to health risks,' Mr. Macharia said, responding to questions on why Kenya Airways has not been granted permission to fly to Tanzania a week after the government announced it had struck a deal with Dar es Salaam for the resumption of flights.
Mr. Macharia further clarified that consultations are ongoing, and the decisions will be communicated in due course.
He maintained that the Kenyan government has no problem with its citizens being quarantined for 14 days when they fly to Tanzania, but emphasized that this agreement can only be done by the two respective Health ministers.
Kenya has classified countries into three categories - high, medium, and low risk - as far as COVID-19 cases are concerned, with the Ministry of Health recommending that travellers from certain countries be exempted from quarantine.
As of yesterday, 150 countries had been put on that list, with the Ministry of Health confirming that travellers coming from these countries with valid COVID-19 certificates will not be quarantined when they arrive in Nairobi.
However, Tanzanian citizens were not included in the list, leading to a ban on Kenya Airways flights to Tanzania.
Hamza Johari, Director-General of the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority, said the approvals were cancelled on a 'reciprocal basis' and that the ban would be in place 'until further notice.'
