NAIROBI, Kenya, May 22 – Cases of COVID-19 rose to 1,161 in Kenya Friday, after 52 new infections were detected, the government said.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the new infections were confirmed from 2,506 samples tested since Thursday.
Of the new cases, Kagwe said, 23 were from Nairobi, 7 each from Mombasa and Busia.
Kagwe said he is increasingly alarmed over Busia, a town in the Ugandan border, where thousands of long distance trucks cross to and from the port of Mombasa in the Kenyan coast.
“There is need to become extra-careful and vigilant because it is a border point. We have a lot of truck drivers in Busia,” the Health CS said. “On our part, we will take all the measures possible so that the figures do not continue to grow.”
Truck drivers crossing the border to and from the neighbouring countries are required to have a valid COVID-19 certificate for tests conducted 48 hours prior to crossing.
Kagwe told a news conference from Machakos on Friday that 5 more people had been discharged after recovering from COVID-19, raising the tally to 380.
Kagwe also raised alarm over the spiraling cases of community infections in Kibera slum in Nairobi, where 21 cases were reported.
“That is something worrying considering the population in Kibera and further measures will be taken based on the scientific finding,” he said.
Kagwe’s warning signals a cessation of movement in the slum, similar to orders issued last month for Eastleigh region of Nairobi and Old Town in Mombasa which recorded high infections.
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