This archive report was first published on 21 May 2020.
Operations at the Malaba One Stop Border Post have been disrupted following a protest by long-distance truck drivers who claim they are being harassed and discriminated against by Ugandan authorities.
According to the truck drivers, their colleague, a Kenyan driver, has been held in Malaba, Uganda, for 48 hours after testing positive for COVID-19, and they are demanding his immediate release.
The drivers, led by their Malaba Chairman Kenneth Okeyo, claim that their colleague is not receiving treatment and that his life may be in danger.
They are calling on Kenyan authorities to intervene and secure the release of the driver.
The truck drivers also allege that there are drivers whose COVID-19 test samples were taken on May 16, but the results have not been released.
Furthermore, they accuse Ugandan security personnel of removing their truck number plates whenever they alight from their vehicles to buy food.
As a result, the truck drivers are now demanding that all cargo trucks destined for Juba and other parts of South Sudan be diverted to the Kitale-Lodwar route to avoid mistreatment by the Ugandan authorities.
On Wednesday, Teso North MP Okau Kaunya called for a meeting between the Presidents of Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania to come up with a common position on cross-border testing for COVID-19.
