By Matthew Okello
BUSIA
Uganda Revenue Authority a body charged with collecting taxes recovered shillings 9 billion from smuggling seizures in 9 districts of Eastern Uganda.
This was revealed on Thursday, 1st February, 2024 by the Regional Enforcement Supervisor of Eastern Uganda, Paul Karatunga during customs tax Baraza held at Busia One stop border point aimed at sensitizing traders out of smuggling.
During the meeting, Karatunga noted that the vice of smuggling is still dominant particularly in the border districts saying it is injuring Uganda’s economic progress.
In the months of July to December 2023, Karatunga said URA seized 510 metric tonnes of smuggled Pakistan rice, 130 metric tonnes of second hand clothes, 181 metric tonnes of wheat flour and 1,123 tonnes of Cement and this followed 5,226 seizures.
Karatunga noted that another commodity whose smuggling is in the rise is sugar with URA currently seizing 5 tonnes of sugar in the last 3 months.
The areas leading in the seizures are Malaba in Tororo district with 1.8billion recovered followed by Busia where Shs1.6 billion was recovered. Other areas with high recoveries are Mbale, Jinja and Busitema.
Karatunga noted that the most smuggled goods are carried in small quantities using bicycles and are later delivered to consolidating centers.
In some places, Karatunga revealed that smuggling is done in equally gazetted places through mis-declaration of goods, falsification of documents and diversion of transit goods.
To curtail this vice, URA has currently embarked on sensitization of traders particularly in border districts of the country aimed at luring the perpetuators to abandon the vice.
Angela Nafula Odong, the chairperson of Busia Women Cross Border Traders Cooperative noted that the multi taxes in Uganda particularly at the customs is what is facilitating smuggling urging URA to consider engaging other government entities to consider reducing or eliminating some of the taxes.
Patrick Kenyatta Wanjala, the chairperson of Busia business community asked URA to identify renowned smugglers in the region and use them to sensitize those who are stuck in the illegal business.
He also asked URA top officials to rein in URA enforcement officers who end up picking bribes from the smugglers hence facilitating the vice.
Richard Onyango, a business man in Busia district also noted that delays in clearing goods by customs discourages most of the traders hence asking URA to develop time saving initiatives that will encourage traders use customs.
Meanwhile, the Busia District Resident Commissioner (RDC) Michael Kibwika said that to fight smuggling, the Busia security committee has profiled all the small and large scale smugglers in the district that will be presented to the relevant authorities to take appropriate actions.
He however asked the URA to continue organizing more Barazas which he says are critical in harmonizing positions and identifying weaknesses to feel the available gaps to enhance appropriate collections for smooth national growth.
The RDC also noted that they are registering multiple cases of women being raped and snake bites in the bushes resulting from smuggling hence calling upon the general public to desist from the vice due to its unbearable consequences.
The URA regional supervisor Eastern Uganda, Robert Ogwal noted that they have picked major stakeholders’ concerns and as URA, they are going to work on them so that Ugandans can learn using customs which is cheaper than the bushes they use for smuggling.
