The Kenyan truck driver who was found dead in Busia district over the weekend tested negative for COVID-19, the ministry of health has revealed.
Samuel Kinywa Wangware, 35, a resident of Mathira, Kenya was found lying dead near his parked truck, registration number KAT 578T at Busitema check point along the Tororo-Iganga highway on Saturday 13th June 2020.
Following concerns that the driver could have died of COVID-19 related illiness, Uganda’s health ministry conducted investigations into his death which revealed that he entered via Malaba point of entry on 31st May 2020 with a negative COVID-19 test.
According to Dr. Henry Mwebesa the Director General Health Services, a sample was taken off the remains by the surveillance team for a retest and found negative for COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the ministry of health has confirmed nine new COVID-19 cases from 2,677 samples tested on 14th June 2020 raising the total cases to 705.
Four new cases were among the 1,813 samples tested from points of entry while five new cases were among 864 samples of alerts and contacts.
Dr. Mwebesa says all the confirmed cases are Ugandans.
“Four of the confirmed cases are truck drivers; Two arrived from South Sudan via Elegu Point of entry while two arrived from Kenya via Malaba point of entry” he said
Dr. Mwebesa added that five of the confirmed cases are alerts and conflicts to previously confirmed cases. These include two contacts from Tororo who were under quarantine at the time of test and one from Amuru, one from Kyotera and one from Entebbe districts.
“Additionally, thirty seven foreign truck drivers (32 Kenyans, 1 Tanzanian, 3 South Sudanese and 1 Eritrean) tested positive for COVID-19 and were handed over to their respective country of origin” Dr. Mwebesa said.
To date Uganda has registered 299 COVID-19 recoveries and Zero deaths according to the ministry.
