The Busia Governor, Sospeter Ojaamong has said that truck drivers without COVID 19 negative certificates will not gain access to the County starting from June 2, 2020.
Speaking to the press at his office premises on Tuesday, Ojaamong said that traffic police officers will be deployed at Bumala and Mayoni areas to ensure that trucks from Siaya and Bungoma respectively are subjected to scrutiny before entry.
“Our treatment facility at Alupe is now over stretched because its capacity is 71 patients,” he said, adding that all the cases are from truck drivers from other counties.
He insisted that truck drivers should secure COVID 19 certificates from the point of origin 48 hours before beginning their journeys.
“Today we are going to deploy police officers at the point of entry of Siaya and Bungoma counties so that whoever does not have COVID 19 negative certificate is returned to wherever they came from,’ he said.
The governor reiterated that the County’s staff and facilities were overstretched and cannot accommodate foreigners whom they did not budget for.
“Before they gain entry into the County, their trucks must be fumigated at the owners’ cost,” he said, adding that the County cannot bear the expenses.
Ojaamong hinted that he will work closely with governors from the neighboring counties to ensure that the directive is implemented.
The Busia County Commissioner (CC), Joseph Kanyiri reiterated that the Government’s directive is that all truck drivers be tested 48 hours at the point of origin before beginning their journey.
Kanyiri pointed out that truck drivers currently causing traffic pile up at Busia and Malaba border have defied the directive.
“Currently we have around 1,000 trucks in Busia and we are not sure of their COVID 19 status,” he said, adding that those who are already in the County will be tested.
He advised that the truck drivers get their COVID 19 certificates from Public Health officers, stating that some drivers were presenting questionable certificates.
Currently, 72 COVID 19 patients are being treated as Alupe isolation and treatment facility against its capacity of 71.
By Salome Alwanda
