More than 500 truck drivers stranded in Maai Mahiu town have threatened to block the Maai Mahiu-Limuru road to protest the delay in the issuance of Covid-19 certificates.
The mobile laboratory in the area has run out of reagents amid concerns that the Inland Container Depot (ICD) could turn out to be an epicentre of the disease.
The drivers told of their suffering as they wait for the testing kits.
Driver Mohammed Abubakar said they were in the dark over the delay as their numbers continued to rise by the day.
He said sanitation in the town is poor and residents are treating them with suspicion.
“If it’s true that we have Covid-19, then we have spread it among residents due to the delay caused by the Ministry of Health,” he said.
Driver Issa Matano said samples have been collected from over 250 drivers but they are yet to get their results.
He said that they and their employers are incurring heavy losses due to the delay.
“We have travelled all the way from Mombasa as there is no testing point there, only to get stranded in this town,” he said.
Salim Oloo said, “We feel that we are been targeted unfairly by the government despite the crucial role we play in the growth of the economy.”
Nakuru Health CEC Kariuki Gichuki had earlier said, “With the high number of drivers stranded in Mai Mahiu, we fear that the number of infections could rise further.”
