URA intercepts truck carrying Kenyan men as tomatoes into Uganda
The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) yesterday intercepted a cargo truck carrying human beings concealed as tomatoes coming into the Uganda.
The incident happened at about midnight at Busai border when a cargo truck was passed through the non-intrusive scanners, only for them to identify humans being transported as tomatoes.
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URA’s commissioner for customs, Abel Kagumire said their scanners identified human beings instead of merchandise, which prompted them to open the truck and look critically to ascertain this.
“Using our s canners, our officers were able to see the images and they got suspicious. They noticed human beings instead of goods. They then thought it could be dead bodies but on opening the truck they found two live human beings,” Kagumire said.
The men found in the cargo container are said to be of Kenyan nationality, who were traveling to Semuto, in Nakaseke district to buy tomatoes, but needed to save on transport costs.
Mike Machaira, the driver of the truck registration Number KCT 230T, on questioning said his colleagues wouldn’t fit at front, so he switched them to the cargo section to disguise like goods.
“They couldn’t fit at the front, so I packed them at the back. If you consider the travel cost from Nakuru where we came from to Uganda is quite high (about Uganda Shs60,000), so we had to save,” Macharia said.
The men found hidden in boxes have been identified as; Douglas Karuiki, 23, David Maina, 22, Simon Gashei Maina 23, Michael Odhiambo 50, and David Owino aged 41.
