Economy

KAA rejects reports Germany lost 6m corona masks in Kenya

masks

Face masks being made at a workshop in northern Spain. PHOTO | AFP

Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has rejected claims by German customs officials that six million face masks ordered to protect health workers from coronavirus which went missing at an airport in Kenya.

KAA said it has not received reports of missing cargo shipped in through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), terming the information of missing face masks as fake.

“Our investigations have concluded that there was no cargo of this nature that passed through JKIA for the last two weeks and no missing cargo has been reported to the authorities,” said KAA through twitter.

German customs officials told Reuters they were attempting to track down six million face masks. “The authorities are trying to find out what happened,” said a defence ministry spokeswoman, confirming a report first published by Spiegel Online.

The FFP2 masks, which filter out more than 90 percent of particles, were ordered by German customs authorities.

They and the armed forces procurement office have been helping the health ministry to get hold of urgently needed protective gear.

The shipment was due in Germany on March 20 but never arrived after disappearing at the end of last week at an airport in Kenya.

It was unclear why the masks, produced by a German firm, had been in Kenya.

The reports have also not disclosed the source market of the masks, or the identity of the firm contracted to make them.

“What exactly happened, whether this is a matter of theft or a provider who isn’t serious, is being cleared up by customs,” said a government source.

Kenya’s health ministry declined to comment and a Kenyan Airports Authority (KAA) spokeswoman said the company was still assessing the situation.

Spiegel Online reported that Germany has placed orders worth 241 million euros with suppliers for protective and sanitary equipment to fight the coronavirus.