COVID-19: Kenyans resort to Mt. Elgon as escape route into Uganda

By Nathan Ngobi

Kween Resident District Commissioner, Denis Balwanilewa has expressed worry about the increasing number of people entering the district through Mountain Elgon National Park and the forest reserve.    

“We are having a big influx of Kenyans sneaking into Uganda through the porous border entry points using the Mt. Elgon forest reserves and most of them move at night,” said Balwanilewa.

To this, he said there is need for Uganda security agencies to beef its presence in the forest reserve of Mt. Elgon.

Mt. Elgon stretches from Eastern districts of Bududa, Manafwa, Mbale, Sironko, Bulambuli, Kapchorwa,  Kween and Bukwo on the Ugandan side.

This means that Ugandan districts neighbor Western Kenya and thus, the risk of COVID-19 import.

Since the lockdown, over 50 people have been arrested using the forest to enter the country.

Of these, some have been put under isolation for 14 days.

Five people remain in isolation while others have been repatriated back to Kenya.