At least 28 Kenyans have returned from Uganda after being issued with Covid- 19 free certificates.
Speaking while handing over the returnees to Busia County Commissioner at Busia border Saturday, the Principal Counselor at the Kenyan High Commission to Uganda Ronoh Kennei said that the majority of them were medical students.
“They are at various levels of their study and majority of them come from Kampala International University, while others are from Western Uganda who have stayed there since March 2020 when the lockdown was implemented in Uganda,” he said.
Kennei added that the students had hoped that the lockdown would not take long but they finally decided to come home following the prolonged period.
“I want you to adhere to the Ministry of Health guidelines because for your own safety,” the counselor told the returnees expressing confidence that the pandemic will soon come to an end.
He informed the County security team that one more person who has been stuck in the DRC border for the past one week will return Sunday June 21, while another two will of Asian origin will arrive on Monday.
“Today we expected to dispatch 31 people but some were not ready,” he said, adding that the remaining three will reach the country before Monday.
The Counselor further said that a similar number of Kenyans are expected to arrive from Uganda on Wednesday next week.
Busia County Commissioner Joseph Kanyiri welcomed the returnees, adding that they will serve the 14-day mandatory quarantine in accordance with the Ministry of health and WHO guidelines.
“We will dispatch you to Kenya Medical Training College Nairobi main campus for quarantine and we shall provide escort to facilitate your movement,” he said, adding that necessary arrangements have also been made for those proceeding to Kisumu and Kisii counties respectively.
Kanyiri explained that self-quarantine was scrapped after some returnees disregarded social distancing forcing their families and other contacts to be subjected to isolation.
“The home based quarantine policy is work in progress, let us re-adjust ourselves, it is a good facility and I know when you reach there, you will be received by our seniors,” he said.
By Salome Alwanda
28 Kenyans return from Uganda
