- Nanok said Turkana has reported cases because officials from the national government allow truckers to pass roadblocks without producing Covid-19-free certificates.
- County commissioner says there's no county lockdown so trucks can't be prevented from entering.
Image: HESBORN ETYANG
The Turkana government has accused national government officials of allowing truckers to enter without producing the Covid-19- free certificate required by the Health ministry.
Turkana Governor Josphat Nanok and others said Covid-19 cases have been reported because national government officials have been lax in letting uncleared drivers pass roadblocks.
He said the security team is supposed to protect people's health.
Turkana county commissioner Boniface Muthama said, however, the county is not on lockdown, hence barring truckers is illegal.
Muthama has been blamed by the county for allowing truck drivers to spread the virus.
Nanok said, “Turkana has eight cases and six are truckers who tested positive at the Nadapal Kenya-South Sudan border.”
Another nine truckers at Nadapal were allowed to pass without completing quarantine despite efforts of health workers to contain them, the governor said.
Five truckers who escaped were arrested at Kainuk with help from the security team, he said.
Nanok said county and national governments must cooperate and truckers must not be allowed to enter the county without a clearance certificate.
Turkana Deputy Governor Peter Lotethiro said county commissioner Muthama has not supported them to demand truckers produce certificates at border points.
He said the commissioner has been allowing trucks coming from hotspot regions into Turkana through the Kainuk route and Nadapal at the border with South Sudan without following health measures.
“We have never said that we locked down Turkana county, we only said truckers from risk areas coming through the Kainuk route and Nadapal must have the good health attestation letter to enter,” the deputy governor said.
He said trucks travelling via Malaba to Uganda are now coming directly through Nadapal in Turkana because they have realised controls are not strict in Turkana.
Asked for comment, Muthama said, “The lockdown is currently in Kakuma and Kalobeyei. The deputy governor doesn’t have powers to impose an illegal lockdown in Turkana and therefore we cannot deter truckers from entering.
Muthama said all drivers going from Turkana to other counties are not being tested for Covid-19, “so why would we insist on testing the ones coming into Turkana?"
He said they will only help the county in screening truckers but cannot prevent their movement because Turkana is not on lockdown.
“The people saying Turkana has declared lockdown were the ones who ordered trucks to enter,” Lotethiro said.
He praised police commander Samuel Ndanyi “who stood with us for not allowing the truckers to proceed”.
The deputy governor said 19 truckers’ samples were sent to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and six were positive for Covid-19.
“You can imagine if those truckers had been allowed to enter before testing it would have been a disaster for our people. We cannot endanger the lives of the pastoralists by allowing the entry of truckers without certificates.”
Herders migrate in search water and pasture and it could be hard to trace them if they contract the virus, Lotethiro said.
Healthcare workers are discouraged because they do everything they can to prevent the spread of the virus but some government officials thwart them.
(Edited by V. Graham)