Kenyans in Migingo fear they could contract Ebola

Kenyans living on the disputed Migingo Island in Lake Victoria have expressed fears they could contract the highly contagious Ebola virus.

The fishermen and traders said their Ugandan counterparts were trooping to the island in large numbers for fishing activities but were not being screened due to a lack of personnel and equipment on the island.

“We are living in extreme fear of contracting the virus which may sweep us here like bushfire due to the lack of a well-equipped medical facility. What we have is one chemist selling the basic painkillers,” said Mr Tom Jairo, a fisherman.

The Kenyans were speaking to officials from the Kenya Police Headquarters in Nairobi who visited the island to assess the housing needs of the Kenyan security forces who are co-manning the island with Ugandan forces.

“We want the government to set up a screening centre in Migingo, complete with staff to take care of out safety,” added another fisherman Mr Malachi Otieno.

Migingo has a population of over 1,000 people working as traders, fishermen and sex workers, and who are mainly Kenyan, Ugandan and Tanzanian.

Even some of the security officers who spoke to the Sunday Nation on of condition of anonymity expressed fears for their safety, saying Ugandans were visiting the island in large numbers daily.

“We are very worried and the work morale has gone low … the government should address our plight,” said one of the officers.

The densely populated Migingo is guarded by a contingent of regular and Rural Border Patrol Unit (RBPU) officers from the Administration Police.

The Kenyan fishermen spoke as eight new cases of Ebola were confirmed at Uganda’s Kagadi Hospital on Friday.

Ugandan officials have so far confirmed 312 people had contact with the sick or the dead, with 253 being closely monitored.