The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has intercepted a popular passenger bus while attempting to smuggle cigarettes, shisha tobacco and powdered milk worth an estimated Ksh46.7 million.The goods were intercepted during an intelligence-led operation targeting a smuggling network operating along the Uganda-Kenya route, with the consignment reportedly destined for Nairobi.KRA on Friday, September 18, said the seized goods had an estimated Ksh29.17 million in taxes at risk, raising concerns over revenue losses linked to the illegal movement of excisable products."The intelligence indicated that the suspect was using a passenger bus as cover to transport excisable products sourced from Uganda through porous border routes to a pick-up point in Busia," KRA revealed.KRA officers mounted an ambush in Eldoret town to intercept the suspect and the vehicle, but the suspect fled after noticing the enforcement team, prompting officers to pursue him.The suspect was eventually caught and detained at Kondoo in the Burnt Forest area, while the bus was escorted back to Eldoret and taken to a KRA warehouse for inspection.The search found hidden compartments inside the bus where the smuggled goods had allegedly been stored to avoid detection by enforcement officers.The intercepted cigarettes were valued at about Ksh30.6 million, while shisha tobacco and accessories were estimated at Ksh8.4 million, including tobacco flavours, filters, pots and bowls.Powdered milk products worth an estimated Ksh7.77 million were also recovered, with KRA saying the use of hidden compartments showed the new methods used to evade detection along major routes."The concealment of the goods in specially configured compartments within a passenger bus points to the increasingly sophisticated methods employed to evade detection along major transportation corridors," KRA stated.KRA said it would continue strengthening intelligence gathering, surveillance and enforcement operations to disrupt smuggling networks and prevent illicit goods from entering and being distributed in the Kenyan market.“These efforts are aimed at protecting public health, legitimate businesses from unfair competition, safeguarding government revenue and promoting compliance with tax and customs laws,” the Authority noted.
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