Kenya moves to restore relations with Tanzania

Kenya’s High Commissioner to Tanzania Amb. Dan Kazungu on Tuesday moved to clear the air regarding the closure of the Kenya-Tanzania border.

Speaking during a press briefing, Kazungu said Coronavirus should not divide the region and leaders should use this opportunity to strengthen ties.

After limiting entry to only those who will test negative for the virus, bad blood was brewing between Kenya and Tanzania but Kazungu moved to quell the situation saying it was not driven by malice.

"We should not let the coronavirus pandemic be a reason to divide our people. We should use this opportunity to build on the friendship and shared interests between our people.

“Our enemy is neither Tanzanians nor Ugandans nor the Rwandese people. Our common enemy is this foreign virus,” he said.

Adding: "President Kenyatta told me to let you know that from his heart, he does not regard Tanzania as a neighbor but as a country of his brothers and sisters who are deeply connected as a family in the pursuit of business and shared prosperity.”

Further, Kazungu said there should be no animosity directed towards Kenyan/Tanzanian drivers at the border.

"If you see a Kenyan driver driving across Tanzania, please treat them well and know they are coronavirus negative because we are working together to test them before they can cross the border," he remarked.

This was reiterated by Health CS Mutahi Kagwe who on Tuesday stated that closure of the border was necessary because out of the 214 cases recorded at the Kenya-Tanzania border, 182 were foreigners.