KRA steps up measures to contain smuggling along Kenya-Uganda border

KISUMU, Kenya Aprill 11-The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has stepped up measures to contain the smuggling of goods along the Kenya and Uganda border.

The efforts jointly undertaken by Kenya and Uganda, target to close in on unscrupulous businessmen who use illegal routes to smuggle goods into the country evading tax.

KRA Malaba One Stop Border Post (OSBP) Manager Kimani Kang’ethe said the joint patrols have yielded fruits with KRA now collecting 100% revenue at the border.

The measures alongside the establishment of the OSBP which has brought all government bodies in charge of clearance of cargo and people from the two countries under one roof, he added, have seen a growth in revenue from Sh 962 million in 2012 to Sh 4.2 billion in 2021.

With enhanced surveillance along the border and inland along the Eldoret-Malaba Highway, he said KRA targets to net Sh5 billion by the close of this financial year.

Speaking during a tour of the facility by journalists from the western region over the weekend, KRA Western Regional Coordinator Pamela Ahago said the investment put in the OSBP has reduced the turnaround time for cargo clearance.

The enhanced efficiency has seen the number of tracks being cleared per day increase from 1, 300 to 2, 300, she added.

“Plans are underway to complete the loop road connecting the OSBP to Uganda to enhance free flow of inbound and outbound tracks and vehicles,” Ahago said.

A multi-agency government team, she said, has conducted a feasibility study on expansion of the OSBP to enhance its capacity adding that the structural designs were being developed.

Kenya Railways is in the process of establishing a transit shed at the border to facilitate smooth movement of goods ferried on the revamped Nakuru-Malaba Meter Gauge line.

“This is set to boost our capacity to handle cargo at this OSBP. Once the construction is completed, KRA will deploy staff at the shed to facilitate the exercise,” she said.