60 drivers to undergo Covid-19 test daily at Mai Mahiu to reduce jam
The number of drivers undergoing Covid-19 tests at the Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Mai Mahiu, Naivasha has been increased from 30 to 60 daily in a bid to address congestion.
This comes a week after the Ministry of Health said the time taken to test and release the results had been reduced from three days to 12 hours.
There has been concerns by the Nakuru county government and residents that the depot could turn into an epicentre of the disease as has happened at the Busia border point.
According to Naivasha sub-county commissioner Mbogo Mathioya, the government was keen to reduce the number of drivers spending the night around the ICD.
“The number of drivers tested every day at Mai Mahiu has been doubled to 60.”
“This is meant to address the high turnout of persons collecting cargo from the ICD,” he said.
He expressed concern over the high number of local and foreign drivers travelling from Mombasa to Naivasha without attestation documents.
Mbogo added that they were encouraging drivers to get tested in Mombasa so as to reduce congestion in Naivasha.
“Many of these drivers at the Mai Mahiu ICD have travelled from Mombasa where there is another testing laboratory,” he said.
Mbogo said the mobile testing laboratory had also been relocated from Mai Mahiu town to the outskirts.
“We realised the mobile laboratory was creating anxiety among residents and moved in out of town where it’s convenient for the drivers,” he said.
