MALABA BORDER MANDATORY COVID-19 TEST.

Thousands of truck piled-up along Webuye Malaba way following mandatory COVID-19 test at the malaba border.Uganda issued a command that no truck should be allowed to enter its territory unless the driver pass the test. Even though the transporters threatened to suspend haulage of cargo through the Northern Corridor if the issues were not addressed.

Mode of transportation was badly affected as other vehicles were forced to use a small spaces left.Taxi and van drivers hyped there transportation fee thus causing the low earning Kenyans to suffer .

I did Covid-19 test at Inland Container Depot in Nairobi and I have a valid certificate which is still valid for seven days. Why am I forced to get tested again?” asked Mohammed Mahmud, a truck driver.Both governments should ensure that citizens should be allowed to move freely from one country to another as long as they have adhered to the rules set by both countries. https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/business/truck-pile-up-at-malaba-border-3673080

This policies that are formulated ,yes should be respected but also atleast they should be reason and serve the citizens of both countries involved.

The new directive by Uganda authorities proposed the review of the Regional Electronic Cargo and Drivers Tracking System (RECDTS), which allows Covid-19 testing after 14 days, to a shorter duration of 7 days, due to the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant, which has a shorter incubation period.Due to the trade barriers, Kenya Transporters Association (KTA) threatened to suspend hauling of cargo until the Ugandan government reconsiders its new directive.

“We are urging Ugandan authorities to consider the new directive and drop the $30 charge per test, which is an additional cost since in the other East African Community (EAC) states, Covid-19 tests are carried out free of charge. We also want clarification of how frequently the test will be carried out and their duration,” said KTA chairman Newton Wang’oo in a statement copied to the ministers of Health in Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda.

Security too was an issue as those trucks carried products worth billions of money thus police had a too provide the security needed to avoid chaos.

Truck drivers striked due to the $31 fee charged during the COVID-19 mandatory test.

To avoid similar occurrence again in future,governments should come to agreement of policies and regulations that they commonly introduce. It should be to the benefit of the common Mwananchi .