AfricaPress-Kenya: Trucking firms have decried new strict measures imposed by the East Africa Community States to contain the spread of novel coronavirus through long-distance drivers.
The truckers through the Kenya Transport Association (KTA) said on Monday that the measures requiring their 15,000 drivers to undergo testing for Covid-19 disease before picking cargo for the transit market were punitive.
KTA chief executive officer Mr Dennis Ombok said it was costly for a single driver to pay Sh6000 per the initial test and Sh2000 for the subsequent test required before they could embark on the journey to deliver cargo in the regional countries.The requirements announced by the Ministry of Health in Nairobi on Sunday were aimed at containing the spread of coronavirus across the East African region.
The government directive entered into force on Monday and caused anxiety among stakeholders who feared it would paralyse their businesses.
The Ministry of Health has also listed hospitals where the drivers should undergo coronavirus tests. The drivers will also be required to rest in designated places along the transport corridor as they deliver cargo.“
We wonder why we have been asked to pay Sh6000 for each driver to be tested and yet residents of Mombasa County are getting the tests for free. We are asking the government to scrap these charges because they are punitive and yet transport has been listed as an essential service during this period of Covid-19 disease,” Ombok said.
Ombok noted that the Ministry of Health did not seem to be ready to test the drivers at the designated Miritini dispensary and yet that was a requirement before they collect cargo from the port.
He said KTA would negotiate with relevant government agencies to see whether the charges could be scrapped so that transportation of goods from the port of Mombasa to the landlocked states could be smooth.
He noted that some trucking firms have up to 100 trucks and this could cost them Sh600, 000 for the initial test of their drivers who should be issued with reports to confirm their status on Covid-19.
Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the Kenya International Freight and Warehousing Association (Kifwa) Mr Roy Mwanthi has appealed to authorities to fast-track the testing of truck drivers for Covid-19 at the border to facilitate transit trade.“
Truck drivers have been stranded at the border with Uganda for several days now and have complained of being harassed. We are asking the government to fast track testing at the border. That is how we can succeed in transit trade,” he said.
He asked the government to increase medical personnel at the borders to facilitate the delivery of containers to transit markets and save businesspeople from the demurrage charges.
The port users also noted that the containers on the delayed trucks were attracting demurrage at a rate of US$35 (Sh3500) charged by shipping lines.The truck drivers deliver goods to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan, which use the port of Mombasa.
