Correspondence by Jacquiline Emodek, Customs
Local leaders in Koboko have pledged to support URA in the fight against smuggling and protect its offices from constant attacks by economic saboteurs in the district.
This was during a meeting with URA management led by the Commissioner Customs Abel Kagumire following an attack on the Domestic Taxes office in Koboko town recently.
Kagumire expressed concern over the attacks and low levels of compliance in the region saying there is need to create synergies with the district leaders and other government agencies to fight smuggling in the district.
“In terms of compliance, northern region is not doing well and it is affecting our revenue so following our intelligence and risk assessment, the Commissioner General sent us here to establish ways of working with other agencies and district leaders to improve voluntary compliance,” he said.
Mambo Asaf the LC 5 of Koboko district responded by promising better support in the fight. “We would like to say that we are committed to supporting Uganda Revenue Authority to curb smuggling in the district and pledge to build a more robust intelligence network to avoid such incidents from happening in the future,” said Mambo.
Furthermore, he suggested that URA increases on the number of officers in the area and also open a new station at Bilijaku (at the border with Democratic Republic of Congo). ”This is because Koboko is a neighbor to two countries so you need to deploy enough enforcement staff. My leadership will be at the forefront and talk to the community before enforcement activities commence. I pledge my total support as a leader,” Mambo stated.
Sylvester Kiwanuka Manager Customs northern region hailed the leadership for the improved working relationship over the years and underscored their efforts to eliminate the sale of smuggled fuel in the town. He however noted the need to also hit smuggler’s hideouts so as to completely rid the district of the vice.
Koboko district is located at the extreme corner of North Western part of Uganda and is the meeting point for the three countries namely Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan. This makes it prone to illegitimate trade with the most smuggled items being fuel and cigarettes.
As a result, enforcement teams are always conducting focused operations and surveillance which has attracted hostility from the community.
Customs will also partner with INVESCO to share data on legitimate traders in DRC to address the issue of round tripping.
