Ugandan traders are increasingly raising alarm over what they describe as a costly and confusing system in the cargo clearing chain, where middlemen allegedly exploit the name of the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) to demand illegal payments before releasing imported goods.
Several logistics and clearing companies have been named by traders in connection with the practice, including Busundo Investments, Sifcargo, Odman Holdings, Finiva Logistics, Twine Logistics, Maris Cargo U Ltd, Campsbay Impex, Segtex Logistics, and Apex Forwarders, among others.
For years, importers say they have been caught in the hands of so-called container leaders, individuals and firms who take control of shipments from the point of clearance and assume full control of the release process.
Even after traders pay official clearing fees and logistics charges, their goods are reportedly withheld and additional payments are demanded.
Traders describe being told that URA is still demanding extra money or that their containers are being held by the tax authority pending further clearance. In some instances, they say they are pressured to pay additional sums under the claim that failure to do so will lead to further delays or penalties.
URA, however, has consistently dismissed such claims, maintaining that its role is limited to tax assessment, collection, and official clearance procedures, and that once required taxes are fully paid and clearance is completed, goods are released without delay.
Despite this clarification, traders say they often end up paying additional charges out of fear of losing their cargo or facing prolonged delays. Many only realise later that the delays and extra costs are being driven by private logistics intermediaries rather than the tax authority.
According to affected importers, the alleged system works in a predictable way. Container leaders assume control of shipments, delay or manipulate clearance processes, and then introduce additional charges framed as official or URA-related payments.
The goods are then withheld until the trader complies with the demands. Over time, this has led to repeated complaints of traders paying in full yet still waiting weeks or even months for their merchandise, while storage and handling costs continue to rise.
URA has rejected the narrative that it holds traders’ goods beyond lawful clearance, describing it as misleading and incorrect. The authority insists that once taxes are paid and the clearance process is completed, there are no further conditions attached to the release of cargo.
In response to growing complaints, authorities have now invited affected traders to support ongoing investigations into what is being described as a fraud network within the logistics sector.
Importers who believe they have been affected are being asked to report to URA Tower in Nakawa, specifically the 16th floor, Office of the Commissioner Executive Office Operations, where they will be assisted in tracing and recovering their cargo upon providing proof of ownership and evidence of payment of lawful charges.
Traders are required to present supporting documents including national identity cards, invoices, receipts, packing lists, tracking numbers, and any correspondence with logistics providers.
The crackdown is aimed at dismantling what is widely referred to as the container leader system, a parallel structure in the import clearance process where intermediaries allegedly control cargo, delay release, inflate costs, and misrepresent URA’s role in order to extract additional payments from traders.
For many importers, the issue has moved beyond delays into what they describe as a structured system of exploitation tied to control of physical goods.
With several companies now being publicly mentioned and investigations underway, pressure is mounting on the logistics sector over how deeply the practice has taken root and how long it has operated without being fully addressed.
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