Uganda suspends Covid testing at Kenyan borders over gridlock

The Uganda Ministry of Health has temporarily suspended mandatory Covid-19 testing at the Malaba and Busia border for truck drivers and passengers.

In a statement on Monday, Uganda's director of health services Charles Olaro said this was after congestion was reported at the borders emanating from the tests.

"Given the poor performance of antigen amongst non-symptomatic individuals and the continued buildup of trucks on the Kenyan side of the border creating another super spreader scenario," Olaro said.

Olaro said the suspension was to ease the movement of trucks into and within the country to avert the potential super spreader event.

There was a huge gridlock of cargo trucks along the highway stretching to over 70km.

Stakeholders in the transport sector blamed slow Covid-19 testing in Malaba for the traffic jam.

Part of the plan to clear the traffic snarl-up, the Star has established, entails deploying health officials on the Kenyan side of the border to conduct rapid Covid-19 tests on truckers crossing into Uganda.

According to the Kenya Transporters Association, introducing rapid testing for coronavirus and increasing the number of health personnel testing for the respiratory disease at the border will raise the number of truckers being cleared to cross the border per day.

The traffic jam has persisted despite last week’s decision by Uganda to suspend a Covid-19 testing fee, which the East African country introduced in late December for truckers.

The introduction of the fee led to a strike by the truckers who claimed it was discriminatory and exploitative.

The truckers called off the strike on Tuesday last week after 11 days.

Edited by D Tarus