Teso North MP Oku Kaunya wants Health CS Mutahi Kagwe to explain measures the national government has put in place to secure Malaba border residents against Covid-19.
The lawmaker said on Thursday that his constituents in Malaba town and those living along the Bungoma-Malaba highway are at risk of contracting the virus because of their interaction with cargo truck drivers.
The Health Ministry should come out and assure residents of their safety as the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise, he said.
“While appreciating the measures the Ministry of Health has taken to contain and bring to end the spread of the coronavirus in the country, it is of concern that the spread of the virus has mainly entered into the country through its ports of entry that require the application of stringent control measures,” he said.
“Malaba border is one of the entries into Teso North constituency. It is a high-risk area since it is the most exposed to and unprotected from coronavirus pandemic.”
Kaunya said the government, by now, should have moved with speed to reduce the risk truck drivers and turn-boys pose to Malaba town residents and surrounding areas following confirmation of Covid-19 among cargo truck drivers.
Five of the Covid -19 positive cases recorded in Uganda as reported by the country’s Health Ministry on April 23 were of Kenyan truck drivers who crossed the border through Malaba.
A sizable number of cargo truck drivers crossing the border through Malaba travel from Mombasa.
Mombasa under the leadership of Governor Hassan Joho is classified as a high-risk zone.
By April 29, the Coastal County had 106 positive coronavirus cases out of the total 384 in the country.
“What measures has the government taken to ensure that the long trailer queues along the Nairobi-Malaba highway near Malaba town and the immediate surrounding areas are fumigated?” Kaunya asked.
“Statistics indicate that cargo traffic volumes at the Malaba border between Kenya and Uganda stand at 78 per cent and most of which comprises of cargo from the port of Mombasa to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, DR Congo and South Sudan.”
“It has been observed that most truck drivers and turn-boys do not adhere to Ministry of Health guidelines of putting on masks, sanitising and keeping social distance and no detection arrangements for out-bound truck drivers are in place. This has heightened the risk of the spread of the virus.”
Kaunya spoke nine days after Health Chief Administrative Secretary Rashid Aman toured Malaba One-Stop Border Post and said Kenya would start mass testing of long-distance truck drivers who are among high-risk groups.
"Uganda is already undertaking mass testing of truck drivers which is appropriate, there is a need for Kenya to expand its testing to include truck drivers," the CAS who was accompanied by his counterparts Hussein Dadho (Interior) and Chris Obure (Transport).
There has been a long queue of cargo trucks along the Bungoma-Malaba highway since President Uhuru Kenyatta and Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni closed the border between the two countries on March 23and 22 respectively.
Some hawkers in Malaba who the Star spoke to on Tuesday said they had abandoned business for fear of contracting the virus from cargo transporters.
Malaba is slowly evolved into a high-risk area since truck drivers who do not cross into Uganda spend nights in the town.
Edited by R.Wamochie