The Ministry of Health has been forced to publish a list of all the approved labs that carry out Covid-19 tests in Kenya after Dubai exposed a major flaw.
A statement issued by the ministry indicated that only 44 laboratories are licensed to tests individuals seeking to travel out of the country.
This development comes after 100 Kenyans who had secured travel permits to Dubai in 2020 after testing negative in Kenya, tested positive upon touch down.
Head of Public Health Dr Francis Kuria noted that the State had launched a crackdown against those issuing fake certificates to unsuspecting Kenyans.
"It was costly moreso to those who aided innocent Kenyans by issuing them fake certificates. It was painful to return someone from the airport," stated Kuria.
The State has rolled out a Trusted Testing (TT) code that can only be offered by the approved testing centers.
"A person intending to travel outside Kenya is expected to take Covid-19 test from the approved labs. These labs shall be reviewed from time by the Ministry of Health.
"On the certificates, they will find a Trusted Testing Code (TT) which shows that the test was done in a trusted lab. This follows the directive from the cabinet secretary of health," read the letter in part.
Some of the labs include Kitale District Hospital, Malindi District Hospital, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Machakos Level 5 Hospital and Mediheal Hospital.
Others are Coptic Hospital (Ngong Road), Nairobi West Hospital, The Mater Hospital Mukuru, Busia District Hospital and Kenyatta University Hospital.
The new directive kicked off on Monday, January 11, 2021.
Health CS Mutahi Kagwe had earlier directed all International travellers to have digital verification of Covid-19 certificates at border points.
he CS stated that the Ministry had rolled out an online system to authenticate and verify travelers' COVID-19 certificates in line with the guidelines of the Trusted Travel Initiative.
