Tanzania claims 19 drivers who were declared positive by Kenyan authorities tested negative in Dar es Salaam

Arusha Regional Commissioner Mrisho Mashaka Gambo has accused Kenya of a deliberate sabotage strategy against the tourism industry in Tanzania.

Through a statement to newsrooms, Gambo said that 19 Tanzanian drivers who had been tested and declared positive by Kenyan authorities had tested negative in Dar es Salaam.

“In efforts to confirm reliability of COVID-19 test results, we took samples from 19 drivers from Tanzania who had been tested and declared positive by Kenya authorities at Namanga border on Kenyan side.

“After these samples were submitted to our Main National Laboratory in Dar es Salaam, the results came back as negative for all these drivers from Tanzania,” he said.

Adding: “Arusha region is confident that this is a deliberate sabotage strategy designed by Kenya against our tourism industry in Arusha and Tanzania at large.”

Further, Gambo said they had collected samples from truck drivers coming from Kenya on 14^th, 16^th and 18^th May 2020.

“Samples taken from 44 truck drivers from Kenya on 14th May 2020, and results were released on 16th May 2020 whereby 14 drivers (11 from Kenya, 1 from Uganda and 2 from another country whose name shall be kept private in this document) all coming in from Kenyan side were positive. Thirty (30) drivers were negative.

“On the 16th May 2020, a total of 23 drivers from Kenya had their samples taken for testing and results were released on 19th May 2020. Results profiles were as follows: Ten (10) drivers were Positive for COVID-19 (All were from Kenya) and 13 were Negative.

“On the 18th May 2020, more samples were taken from Eleven (11) drivers, all arriving from Kenya, and results will be given out immediately after release from our main National Laboratory in Dar es Salaam,” read the statement.

Gambo maintained that Arusha will continue taking all the necessary precautions to prevent any potential wave of COVID-19.