Transport along Busia-Malaba road has been paralyzed for the past three days after long distance truck drivers blocked the exit point to Uganda from Malaba One Stop Border Post.
The irate drivers deflated their vehicles Saturday on realizing that the security team had plans to engage with them with a view to end the stalemate.
One of the drivers Mathias Muthoka who spoke to KNA at the scene said that they are being treated in a very inhumane manner by security officers in Uganda.
“Whenever we make stopovers we are harassed and labeled coronavirus victims,” he said, adding that they are not allowed to purchase anything including foodstuffs from Ugandan shops.
Muthoka appealed to both President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni to intervene in solving the stalemate.
“We have suffered this stigmatization since the onset of Covid-19 but we have been very patient,” he said, adding that they have no issues with Ugandan drivers.
Efforts by Busia County Security team led by County Commissioner Joseph Kanyiri to engage the drivers in peaceful talks did not bear fruits as the furious drivers deflated vehicle tyres and threatened to set them ablaze.
“We had come to assess the situation and engage the stakeholders but the situation turned violent,” he said adding that the issue is now being handled at a higher level by the two heads of states.
The stalemate has affected even the Public Service Commuter vehicles plying the route who were forced to maneuver through non designated routes.
By Salome Alwanda
