Happy traders, after news of their goods being released after being held at a private warehouse since September.
The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has cleared eleven consignments that had been held at Kenfreight Inland Container Depot (ICD) since September, bringing relief to hundreds of traders who had incurred losses due to prolonged delays and alleged fraud.
The containers were consolidated by Credify Africa Limited and consigned in the names of container leaders Joshua Kisaka and Annet Namanda. Investigations revealed that the two, working with Credify Africa Limited, allegedly defrauded traders by overcharging them under the pretext of tax payments, funds that were never remitted to URA.
The affected consignments were declared under entry numbers UGKLA S114032, S103289, S112727, S106117, S120342, S104983, S108471, S113730, and S102728. They had remained stuck at Kenfreight ICD for several months, forcing traders to absorb storage costs and miss critical business opportunities.
Following complaints submitted to the Commissioner General of URA, John Rujoki Musinguzi, the authority swiftly constituted a special team to investigate the matter. The team traced and verified over 400 affected traders.
Some of the traders having their goods verified.
As part of the intervention, the Commissioner General sought and secured waivers on UNBS inspection fees and penalties, easing the financial burden on the traders.
“It is unfair to keep holding people’s goods without justification. We could not stand by and watch this continue. Some private warehouses were giving URA a bad name by unfairly holding goods and blaming it on us,” Musinguzi said.
Kampala Gazette has learned that URA, working closely with the Ministry of Trade and the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), also waived taxes on the affected goods to facilitate their immediate release.
The consignments are now being transferred to individual traders through the issuance of House Bills, enabling clients to clear and collect their goods without further delay.
Traders welcomed the intervention, praising the URA Commissioner General for personally following up the matter to its logical conclusion. Many described the move as an early Christmas gift, restoring confidence among small and medium-scale traders who had been financially strained by the prolonged clearance process.
