Minister who was pushed off plane over COVID-19 positive status last week travels by road

JUBA – South Sudan’s minister of humanitarian affairs and disaster management Peter Mayen who was forced off plane bound for Nairobi by fellow passengers has traveled to Kampala, Ugandan, by road and has denied being coronavirus positive.

Last week, several airport staffers and security officials told Sudans Post that Mayen had forced his way in through VIP hall to a Kenyan Airways plane before he was pushed out by other passengers one of whom also confirmed the incident.

Separately, a humanitarian ministry official told Sudans Post at the time of the incident that Minister Mayen was scheduled for a meeting with his Kenyan counterpart who was set to sign a humanitarian response agreement with him last Sunday, March 7, 2021.

However, in an interview with the Juba-based Eye Radio, Mayen denied that he was pushed off the plane and being coronavirus positive, but admitted he was late and missed the plane and decided to travel by road.

“It is not true,” Mayen said. “What happened on Saturday was that I missed the plane and then I said I should use the road.”

The senior government official who was speaking from the Ugandan capital Kampala said he is not positive and he regularly check for the virus even if he is not travelling. “I have my Covid-19 certificate and I check for Covid-19 after every two weeks even if I am not traveling,” he said.