URA intercepts Kenyan truck carrying two men in containers

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda Revenue Authority’s new scanners at the borders have started bearing fruit, as early today the tax collectors intercepted a Kenyan registered truck at Busia border smuggling two people in boxes into Uganda.

URA says the truck registration number KCT 230T reached Busia border at midnight and went through the scanner at Busia customs One Stop Border Post.

“On scanning the truck, the image showed wooden boxes packed in the truck. However, the officer at the scanner proceeded to the truck with policemen and had the truck opened. As the image revealed, two individuals were found concealed in the boxes,” the tax body said in a statement.

The tax body has not revealed the nationalities of the individuals found in boxes but said they would be handed over to the Internal Security Organisation-ISO and to the immigration department. URA will also a press briefing at their Nakawa headquarters to share more details.

The smuggling of human beings, while not new, calls for increased security risk alertness for the country. The individuals found in the truck have not said where they were heading and what they wanted.

But their arrest comes just a day after the USA Embassy in Uganda issued a security alert to its USA citizens in Uganda, noting that there were rumours of planned attacks.

“There are rumours of impending attacks in areas frequented by expats within East Africa, including Uganda.  The Embassy has no substantiating evidence of the threat or information on the timing, but nonetheless warns citizens to take the precaution,” the embassy said.

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