This archive report was first published on 20 May 2020.
On May 20, 2020, Kenya and Tanzania moved to resolve their border standoff that had paralyzed transport for several days due to a tedious COVID-19 testing procedure.
President Uhuru Kenyatta announced the closure of the Namanga border and all other routes to and from the country following increased cases of COVID-19 among drivers from the neighboring country.
More than 20 Tanzanian truck drivers had been turned away at the border after testing positive for the virus, leading to a pile-up of trucks at the main Namanga border.
Tanzanian government officials in Arusha and other border towns publicly protested, accusing Kenya of discriminating against their truck drivers.
However, on Wednesday, President John Pombe Magufuli announced that COVID-19 would not threaten the association between Kenya and Tanzania.
He stated that he had held talks with President Kenyatta and agreed to have their ministers resolve the matter.
“We are good neighbors, I have held talks with [President] Kenyatta and we have agreed,” Magufuli said, rooting for a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
Both countries rely on each other for trade, with Kenya exporting milk and other items to Tanzania, and Tanzania selling onions in Kenya.
Magufuli emphasized that their economies need each other and that they have agreed to have their Transport Ministers and officials in charge of the borders meet and resolve the issue.
While Kenya makes public the number of COVID-19 cases, Tanzania stopped announcing its tally three weeks ago, with President Magufuli accusing lab officials of inefficiency or complicity in testing cases.
He had sent in samples from animals, plants, and even motor vehicle oil to gauge the lab officials’ effectiveness, and some of the samples were declared to have coronavirus.
Magufuli also told Tanzanians they do not need to wear masks or stay at home because that will compromise their immunity to diseases.
