Trans Nzoia County Governor George Natembeya has reactivated the Rapid Response Team at the county and sub-county level to sensitize members of the public about the Ebola Virus disease which has been reported in some parts of Uganda.
Addressing a press conference in Kitale, Natembeya said his administration is working closely with the security agencies and other stakeholders to ensure that residents of Trans Nzoia remain safe.
Natembeya said health officials will soon be stationed at Suam One Border Point to screen all the people entering Kenya through the Kenya-Uganda border.
“I know our border is porous, there are several panya routes; as a county, we have plans of screening people who come to our county from Uganda through the Suam border, that way we shall be able to deter the entry of any person who presents Ebola symptoms,” Natembeya said.
He also said surveillance will be heightened so that unnecessary cross-border movements are minimized.
“We know our people have relatives living in Uganda. Although we cannot prevent them from coming to Kenya, we discourage unnecessary cross-border movements because this disease is very dangerous,” he stated.
He called on members of the public not to panic saying nobody in Trans Nzoia has so far presented any symptoms of Ebola.
“We don’t want our people to panic because we do not have any person who has Ebola-related symptoms. We ask them to be cautious and be cognizant of the symptoms and to report any suspect to health officials” he appealed.
He revealed that the Kaisagat health center in Kwanza constituency has been set aside as an isolation facility for suspected people.
“Kaisagat health center which was used as Marburg isolation facility has been set aside and is ready to be used in case somebody presents Ebola symptoms,” he said.
Trans Nzoia County Commissioner Mbogai Rioba asked the residents of the border county to be vigilant.
“We shall involve all our security teams in surveillance. Although we shall not restrict movements between Kenya and Uganda, we shall have an active patrol team to keep our border safe” Rioba said.
On Tuesday 20 September 2022, the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak was reported in Mubende district following a confirmed case in Mubende Regional Referral Hospital.
