This archive report was first published on 7 June 2020.
Kenya's efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19 have been dealt a significant blow by truck drivers who have become super-spreaders of the virus.
According to the Ministry of Health, almost 100 truck drivers have tested positive for Covid-19 in less than a week, with the majority of cases reported in Busia County.
Busia County, which borders Uganda in Malaba, has reported 178 cases of Covid-19 positive truckers as of yesterday, according to the county's head of coronavirus response team, David Mukabi.
Truck drivers who operate from Mombasa through the major towns on the highway and the border points with Uganda have been identified as super-spreaders of the virus.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has warned that all truck drivers must take a Covid-19 test at least 48 hours before embarking on their journey and acquire a Covid-19 free certificate.
However, truckers have devised ways of circumventing checkpoints undetected, including using a trucker who has been tested and issued with a certificate to collect cargo for a colleague who has not been tested.
Mr Kagwe also warned that certificates can only be issued by a World Health Organisation accredited laboratory, of which Kenya has 22.
The government has designated stopovers for truck drivers, including in Busia, Gilgil, Taveta, Namanga, Mlolongo, Malaba, and Webuye, where they can stay while waiting for their test results.
However, the spread of the disease among truck drivers has taken the government back to the drawing board, with Health Chief Administrative Secretary Rashid Aman saying a huge portion of those who tested positive were truck drivers who had travelled within the East African economic bloc.
Busia and Malaba border posts serve as a gateway to other East African countries and have also recorded a number of cases.
