• The authority’s acting managing director Rashid Salim on Tuesday announced that the authority has seven confirmed cases of Covid-19.
• Commission for Human Rights and Justice lauds moves saying it will save thousands of lives and Kenya's economy.
Image: COURTESY
A lobby group has lauded government's plan to conduct mass testing of the COVID-19 virus at the Port of Mombasa.
Commission for Human Rights and Justice said the testing will play a key role in ensuring the safety of port users.
The commission through its Executive Director Julius Ogogoh had threatened to move to court to compel the authority to conduct the test.
This is after two of employees at the port succumbed to the disease.
Ogogoh said mandatory testing of all port workers and users is key to ensuring operations the port, which serves millions of people in East and Central Africa, are uninterrupted.
“The Mombasa port is not only the gateway to East and Central Africa but also an important international maritime seaport.
“Thus, if the KPA management does not subject its employees and port users to compulsory mass testing, we will do so through the courts,” said Ogogoh.
Ogogoh said the move by the government will save lives and the country’s economy.
“This is what we have been advocating for. Better late than never. The port is a critical facility that should be keenly taken care of. Its workforce must be healthy,” said Ogogoh.
He said government must do all it can to ensure the number of Covid-19 deaths at the port remains two.
“But this will only be achieved if the workers themselves also take initiative. This war should not be left to the government alone,” said Ogogoh.
He announced that he is talking to friends and well-wisher both locally and internationally so as to secure Personal Protective Equipment for health workers at Bandari clinic, masks, sanitisers and other essentials to be distributed to workers at the port.
The port has over 10,000 workers and users, although the number of workers has been reduced.
Dock Workers Union had also called for mass and compulsory testing for all port workers and users.
“We are at risk and we need to have extra caution taken,” Secretary General to the union Simona Sang said.
The government on Tuesday announced it will conduct mass testing at the port where 7 other employees have tested positive of the disease.
Acting Managing Director Rashid Salim said out of the seven cases, five are port employees while two contracted cleaners at the port.
Health CAS Mercy Mwangangi during the daily status report said some 1,000 testing kits will be deployed at the port.
She said priority will be given to health workers and other essential service providers.
KPA is listed as a critical government agency that provides essential public services.
Mwangangi said the mass testing exercise will be based on priorities of high risk regions.
Mombasa county is the second most affected after Nairobi with 34 confirmed cases of the virus. Nairobi has 101 cases.
Mwangangi said 12,000 testing kits will be deployed in phase one that will cover Nairobi, Mandera, Mombasa and Siaya counties.