By Jacinta Obore Mirembe
Abel Kagumire, the Commissioner for Customs met with traders in the Oceanic Bus Terminal where he engaged them on the new clearance guidelines that will require all goods headed for the station to be cleared through the Document Processing Centre (DPC).
Kagumire assuaged the trader’s fears that there would be delays in clearing the goods.
“The only difference will be that the valuation officer will now sit in DPC to work on your entries rather than being here directly interacting with the clients. The bus terminal will otherwise continue to function as usual,” he explained.
URA recently instituted the measures following the publication of a report outlining the revenue losses at the bus terminal, which were mainly caused by the lack of streamlined processes.
During the meeting, the traders expressed concern about how the directive was issued without consulting them.
They requested a three-month grace period before the directive goes into effect.
Victoria Nabitaka Makumbi, the Assistant Commissioner of Field Services, encouraged them to welcome the change, noting that it is aimed at serving them better.
“We are going to ensure that we facilitate you faster as we streamline the valuation process. As Customs, we are here to help your businesses thrive, and these new adjustments will allow us to do it even better,” she said.
