This archive report was first published on 22 May 2020.
On May 22, 2020, residents of Namanga in Kajiado County expressed concerns about the movement of truck drivers at the border town as they await COVID-19 test results.
According to the residents, truck drivers are mingling with locals even as they wait for their test results, which take around four to five days, thus exposing them to the risk of contracting the Coronavirus.
Resident Keria ole Mentina urged the government to assign truck drivers a specific area where they can stay as they await Covid-19 clearance certificates, so that they do not mingle with the residents.
"Truck drivers plying the Kenya-Tanzania route eat at the hotels in the town and sleep in the lodgings as they await their results, thus putting the residents at the risk of exposure," Mentina said.
Businessman John Motonga also expressed concerns about the business community being at a high risk of contracting the virus as they serve customers from both Kenya and Tanzania.
"It is hard to pinpoint who has the virus and who does not," Motonga said.
Another resident, Alex Meritei, called for mass testing of Namanga residents, fearing that many people have already been exposed to the virus.
"Truck drivers are normally in contact with many people as they move from one place to another while awaiting clearance, and mass testing would ensure that those already infected are isolated and quarantined so as to stop further spread of the virus," Meritei said.
Truck drivers, on the other hand, called on the government to speed up plans to install a mobile Covid-19 laboratory at the border post to shorten the waiting period.
