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Trader who imported destroyed Mombasa sugar charged

The sugar was destroyed with rice after being dumped into the ocean as part of measures employed by the Kenya Revenue Authority to punish unscrupulous traders/FILE

The sugar was destroyed with rice after being dumped into the ocean as part of measures employed by the Kenya Revenue Authority to punish unscrupulous traders/FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 13 – The businessman who imported the sugar destroyed in Mombasa recently has been charged for under declaring the goods and giving false information.

Abdullah Roka Godana was charged for under declaring five containers with 2,450 bags of Brazilian Sugar valued at Sh9 million which was concealed as boxes of dates.

The sugar was destroyed with rice after being dumped into the ocean as part of measures employed by the Kenya Revenue Authority to punish unscrupulous traders.

KRA has intensified a crackdown on unscrupulous businessmen and officials who collude to undervalue goods in order to pay less duty and has since cost various top officials their jobs.

To sustain the clean-up, the Kenya Ports Authority Board has made extensive changes to the management in response to what it deems as a failure by the axed managers to prevent contraband goods from entering the country and loss of revenue at the port.

Managing Director Gichiri Ndua whose contract was due to expire in July was sent on terminal leave with three General Managers sent on early retirement, “with immediate effect.”

The managers are Twalib Khamisi who was in charge of Operations, Muthoni Gatere who was in charge of Board and Legal Services and Justus Nyarandi who was the Corporate Services General Manager.

“Several serving staff at the KPA had failed to fully exercise their duties to stop the proliferation of contraband cargo through the port, mis-declaration of cargo and gaps in the screening of containers and the verification of goods,” Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said.

Ndua was replaced in an acting capacity by Finance General Manager Catherine Mturi.

READ: Changes made to KPA top management over contraband goods

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Head of Security Major (td) Mohamed Morowa was replaced by the Principal Port Security Officer Mariam Khamis.

Other substantive appointments included the promotion of Sudi Mwasinago from Head of Container Operations to General Manager Operations.

Edward Kamau was promoted from Head of Marketing Services to GM, Corporate Services.

Addraya Dena moved up from Head of Contracts and Conveyance to GM, Board and Legal Services while the Head of Financial Accounting, Patrick Nyoike, is acting as the GM, Finance.

An exchange of blame between the Kenya Revenue Authority and Container Freight Stations then ensued over who between the two had either slept on the job or colluded with contraband importers.

The operations of Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho’s Autoports Freights Limited and Portside Freights Terminal Limited were also suspended thereafter.

Kenya Revenue Authority has vowed to continue with the crackdown on rogue container firms abetting tax evasion.

The authority says the move was intended to streamline operations of Container Freight Stations (CFS) and urged politics to be kept out of it.

Senior port police officers were also reshuffled in the far-reaching purge.

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