Covid-19: Borders run out of sample-collecting kits

The Ministry of Health officials at Busia and Malaba borders have reportedly run out of coronavirus sample-collecting kits, days after they operationalised the collection of samples from truck drivers.

On Wednesday last week, the Health minister, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, announced the mandatory testing of all truck drivers and their turn boys to avert the importation of Covid-19.

However, by 10am on Sunday, only 300 truck drivers at the Malaba border of the 600 that had entered the country, had their samples taken, while only 76 truck drivers of 200 at the Busia border had their samples captured.

Medical sources at both borders said they had run out of kits for collecting samples.

“We only have one kit left and hope to get 50 more from Masafu Covid-19 isolation centre,” sources said.

President Museveni last month closed borders, only allowing cargo trucks and fuel tankers into the country.

Busia and Malaba borders are on the Northern corridor route, with each registering 750 trucks and 2,000 trucks daily, respectively.

Uganda so far has 54 confirmed cases of Covid-19, with majority being returnees from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Mr Asuman Mahmood, a truck driver at the Malaba border, said officials at the port health office only screened him for temperature and cleared him to proceed.

“It seems they (officials) have run out of sample-collecting kits because about 30 of my colleagues, including myself,have not had our samples taken,” Mr Mahmood said.

Mr Tony Wabwire, the in-charge Port Health Services at Busia border, said they collected samplesfrom 76 truck drivers to the district hub at Masafu hospital, from where they will be transported to the Uganda Virus Research Institute for final analysis.

Mr Wabwire, however, downplayed the lack of sample-collection kits, saying his role was not to comment about the shortage of equipment.

The Ministry of Health spokesperson, Mr Emmanuel Ayinebyoona, said more sample-collecting kits are on their way and various testing points will be set up.

Asked about the multitudes who are feared to have already found their way into the country without being tested, Mr Ainebyoona said: “We got some disruptions but we are going to have them tested because their records have been taken.”

According to Mr Wabwire, apart from taking samples, they also have to fill out Covid-19 forms detailing origin, nationality, age, destination, and contacts of the drivers.

Kenya has recorded more than 200 Covid-19 cases and seven fatalities, with reports that contacts of one person in Busia-Kenya who had tested positive were being traced on the Busia-Uganda side.

The porous Busia border stretches more than 57 kilometres, from Majanji on the shores of Lake Victoria to River Malaba in Buteba Sub-county.

Mr Mike Chris Okirya, the Busia Resident District Commissioner, said smuggling had increased across the border.

Mr Okirya said they had deployed more than 100 Uganda People’s Defence Forces soldiers, police and LCs to bring order.

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