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.