This archive report was first published on 13 May 2020.
Kenya is taking steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at its borders. A mobile laboratory is set to be deployed at the Namanga border town to help prevent cross-border infections.
According to Dr Rashid Aman, a Chief Administrative Secretary at the Ministry of Health, the lab will be set up next week with the help of the East African Community (EAC). This move comes as the country sees a rise in positive cases at the border point.
On Wednesday, Dr Aman revealed that 25 people, mainly truck drivers, had been turned away after testing positive at the border. The group included 23 Tanzanians, a Rwandese, and a Ugandan.
Additionally, three people from Namanga tested positive in Kenya on Tuesday, contributing to the country's total of 737 cases.
The mobile laboratory in Namanga will improve disease surveillance and enable testing, particularly on truck drivers. Dr Aman explained that the lab is 'fully equipped to do molecular work and the testing that we are carrying out for COVID-19.'
Dr Patrick Amoth, the Ag Director-General of Health, urged communities living at the border point to be vigilant and report suspicious movement from neighboring countries.
