By Our Correspondent, NAIROBI Kenya
Tanzania government through its Regional Commissioners bordering Kenya, announced an indefinite ban on cargo drivers from Kenya in an escalated response to a recent directive by President Uhuru Kenyatta on mandatory COVID-19 screening at the border point.
President
John Magufuli’s government which has lifted most COVID-19 restrictions
including a 14-day quarantine period for international tourists arriving in the
country accused the Kenyan government of undermining free trade.
Tanga
Regional Commissioner, Martine Shigela, Monday said the move is aimed at
curbing COVID-19 infections at the border points accusing Kenyans of spreading
coronavirus to Tanzania.
“I
direct authorities that as from today they should not allow any truckers coming
from Kenya to enter our country, we cannot allow them to continue shipping the
virus into our country,” said Shigela.
“Tanzanians
who have tried crossing the border to Kenya are really facing challenges, do
not bother going there anymore to buy items,” he added.
Mara Regional
Commissioner, Adam Malima also ordered the customs officers at Sirari (Isebania
in Kenya) border post to make sure that truckers coming from Kenya are not
allowed to enter Tanzania through the post. “The goods from Kenya should be
offloaded at the border and picked by their Tanzania owners.” He insisted.
The
Tanzanian official added that goods from his country to Kenya will also be
offloaded at the border from where they will be picked by their Kenyan owners.
Trucks from
Kenya heading to other countries in the south such as Malawi, Zambia, DR Congo
through Tanzania will, however, be allowed entry provided they are not driven
by Kenyans.
The
directive by the Tanzanian officials comes after the Health Chief
Administrative Secretary, Rashid Aman, announced that 51 Tanzania nationals
were denied entry into the country after testing positive for COVID-19 at
various border points.
Aman said
more laboratories will be set up at Kenya-Tanzania border points to ramp up testing
for COVID-19 amid complaints by truckers of delayed clearance at the border.
“The
problem we currently have is along the Tanzanian border at Sirari/Isebania,
Namanga, and Taita Taveta where we do not yet have functional laboratories that
can do the test and turn around the results very quickly,” Aman said.
Tanzania truckers
claim that testing done by Kenya doctors are faulty and most results positive
to deny them entry to the country and create jobs for Kenya drivers to relay
the goods through final destination in Kenya, Uganda or Rwanda.
Regional
Commissioner for Arusha region, Mrisho Gambo said that some Tanzania truck
drivers whose samples tested positive from Kenya results have tested negative
from Tanzania laboratory in Dar es Salaam.
“To be precise of the results from Kenya, we took samples from positive drivers, sent them to our laboratory in Dar es Salaam and results show that 19 of them are negative.” He said adding that there is a ploy by Kenya to kill tourism and business in Arusha and Tanzania by declaring falsified coronavirus results.
Gambo said
that the initiative is to safe-keep the Tanzania citizens from imported
coronavirus and have sound preparations for tourists season in June this year.
In a
directive issued on May 16, President Kenyatta ordered the closure of the
Kenya-Tanzania border to all passenger traffic in a bid to avert a spike in
COVID-19 infections.
President
Kenyatta directed officials at the border to only allow truck drivers who have
tested negative for the coronavirus into Kenya.
Kenya's coronavirus
tally has risen to 963 after 51 people tested positive in the last 24 hours.
During Tuesday press briefing, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the number of recoveries rose to 358 after 22 patients were discharged from hospitals. - Africa
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