This archive report was first published on 14 May 2020.
On May 14, 2020, Kenya's government announced that it would be taking stringent measures to curb the spread of coronavirus at border points.
According to Health Chief Administrative Secretary Dr. Mercy Mwangangi, the government has classified porous borders as high-risk areas in the transmission of coronavirus.
Speaking during the Covid-19 daily briefings at Afya House, Dr. Mwangangi stated that seven of the eight truck drivers who tested positive for coronavirus were from the Namanga border point, while the other one was from the Isebania border in Migori County.
She emphasized that the National Emergency Response Committee is closely monitoring the situation and would not hesitate to take any measures as the situation dictates.
Dr. Mwangangi appealed to residents living in border towns to embrace the Nyumba Kumi initiative and report individuals using illegal routes, commonly referred to as 'Panya' routes.
'We urge our communities to actively exercise Nyumba Kumi community policing and report any suspicious individuals who may be using Panya routes to get into our country,' she said.
Residents of the border counties have repeatedly called on the government to close the porous border to avert further importation of coronavirus from neighboring countries.
They claim security officers were being compromised in some instances to allow movement of people across the borders.
Meanwhile, long-distance truck drivers in Mombasa are decrying long queues and slow pace of testing for the novel coronavirus at the Miritini Dispensary.
