The escalating crisis at the Kenya-Tanzania borders area took a new twist following a targeted police crackdown on suspected Tanzanian nationals sneaking into the Kenyan side of the border using motorbikes across unmanned border crossing points.
Footage of a dramatic chase involving a special unit of police officers deployed to the porous border area emerged on Monday evening, May 18.
During their patrol, the officers soon encountered a huge group of suspected Tanzanian nationals who were hiding at Mpakani Academy, and chaos soon ensued.
The unidentified individuals were rundown with some escaping into through bushes behind the school.
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Some of the runners opted to abandon their motorbikes and fled on foot to avoid capture.
An estimated 35 boda bodas were impounded during the highly coordinated operation to ensure President Uhuru Kenyatta's directive to have the Kenya-Tanzania border closed to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.
“There will be a cessation of movement of persons and any passenger-ferrying automobiles and vehicles into and out of the territory of Kenya through the Kenya-Tanzania international border,” Uhuru said in a televised address on May 16.
He further announced that the same directive would be applied on the Kenya-Somalia border.
Speaking to the media, residents of Isebania lauded the government operation to nab Tanzanians, who they claimed were using various panya routes to gain entry into the country.
"I am very pleased with today's operation. I would even urge the president to send even more reinforcements to ensure the Tanzanians adhere to the new directives," Shukri Abdi - an area resident stated.
However, there were those who expressed their worry over what the closure of the Kenya-Tanzania border would spell for their source of livelihood.
"The decision of the President was necessary and I understand why he had to close the border. However, I am worried over where I will be able to access food and other essential items.
"We used to get some rice and other items on the other side of the border. Here in Kuria, we are yet to see a single sack of relief food which we need badly to be able to cope with the new normal," Anne Ngati - a Kuria resident expressed.
The situation at Kenya's border with Tanzania has grabbed the headlines over the last few weeks, with Kenya's Health CAS Rashid Aman announcing on May 18, during a presser, that 53 truck drivers had tested positive for Covid-19 at the border.
Of the 53, 51 were identified as Tanzanians, while 2 were determined to be Burundi nationals.
On his part, Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli retaliated to the new directives by his Kenyan counterpart by announcing new directives targeting cargo trucks and goods from within the East African Community (EAC).
"All trucks with goods owned by a Tanzanian, and need to enter Tanzania, or they belong to someone else but the order was made by a Tanzanian, find another truck to take the goods to the final destination. Vehicles from any other country will not be allowed," a directive from the Tanzania government reads in part.
