This archive report was first published on 13 May 2020.
As Covid-19 cases continue to rise in Kenya, political leaders from Migori County are urging the government to temporarily close the border with Tanzania at Isebania to prevent the spread of the disease.
On May 12, 2020, the lawmakers, including MPs Paul Abuor, Walter Owino, Mark Nyamita, Peter Masara, Kitayama Marwa, Dennitah Ghati, Pamela Odhiambo, and Senator Ochillo Ayacko, held a press briefing to express their concerns.
Senator Ayacko emphasized that nearly all positive Covid-19 cases in the county had a history of traveling to or from Tanzania, making it a matter of life and death to close the border and allow only essential services to pass through.
The leaders also demanded that the government ensure the security apparatus in Migori County is well-resourced, including deploying the General Service Unit (GSU) wing of the police officers to the border and other small routes used by Kenyans and Tanzanians.
Furthermore, the lawmakers called for the government to provide adequate food assistance to those affected by the floods, which have interfered with farming activities and deprived thousands of people of their livelihoods.
They appealed to the government to increase the amount and frequency of relief food rations to the county's residents and to rehabilitate all security roads along the Kenya-Tanzania border.
The leaders emphasized the need for a permanent solution to the perennial issue of floods in Migori County, particularly in Nyatike constituency, where residents are facing biting hunger.
