Clearing agents at border taking Shs 30,000 to allow foreigners cross into Uganda

Nile Post has exclusively learnt that clearing agents at border points are taking bribes as low as Kenyan Shs 1000 (Ug Shs 33,000) to help people cross into Uganda from Kenya and Tanzania.

Last month, President Museveni declared Uganda borders closed to any form of traffic in bid to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Museveni urged that no truck, pedestrians or people on bicycles would be allowed into Uganda for the sake of manageability.

However, Nile Post now understands that borders have become a hotbed for bribes by business persons and other people who want to cross over from Uganda’s neighbours.

A whistleblower at Busia border intimated to Nile Post that the activity there is despicable, following the risk it could place the country in.

“Ugandan clearing agents here are sneaking in Kenyans,” the whistle-blower reported.

Nile Post understands that clearing agents, and money changers are still operating at the borders.

“These clearing agents at the border. And to a small extent the money changers. Those two groups are the only groups still operating on the border because they clear the trucks which cross over,” the source claimed.

“So these agents even have special coats which they wear to identify them. Since they cross to offices both at Kenya side and Uganda side.”

Apparently, the person who intends to cross approaches clearing agents with as low as Shs1000 Kenyan money (Shs30,000).

That person will then be given those pink overcoats for clearing agents. And they cross into Uganda. This is happening at high rate,” the whistleblower added.

“I hope intelligence has been notified. I wish they get some afande in civilians to trick these people and arrest just one then charge then with murder. A clearing company whose employees are doing such a thing should also have their license cancelled and even blacklist its directors so that they never register any other company in Uganda.”

On March 25, police arrested two of their own for allegedly soliciting money from people entering into Uganda through the porous routes at the Busia border.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyncFo2QjhI

Paul Kalikwan, the Busia District Deputy Resident Commissioner says that the officers were soliciting 3, 000 shillings from each person crossing into the country and that by the time they arrested them they had so far picked money from over 20 people who were coming from Kenya.

Erineo Sirondo Maloba, a businessman at the border says that they saw the officers picking money from women and later allowed them to cross in Uganda which prompted them to inform the Resident District Commissioner.

Government efforts?

The government has deployed military personnel to man porous border points and stop any illegal entry.

Illegal wooden bridges that had been erected on River Malaba to stop illegal entry of foreigners have been destroyed.

Last month, Gen Elly Tumwine, the Security minister, said many people are arrested daily trying to sneak into Uganda. He said insisted the heavy deployment of the army has sealed the more than 103 ungazetted border points.

Numbers

Uganda still stands at 61 positive cases of coronavirus while Kenya 294 cases have been recorded, 150 in Rwanda and 254 in Tanzania.