Delays cause bribes along Northern Corridor â€" Survey
Oct 10, 2007
TRYING to reduce delay of cargo along the Northern Transit Transport Corridor is a major cause of bribes, a study about the integrity of customs has shown. The corridor starts from Mombasa and passes through Nairobi, Kampala, Rwanda, DR Congo, Tanzania and Sudan.
By Mikaili Sseppuya
TRYING to reduce delay of cargo along the Northern Transit Transport Corridor is a major cause of bribes, a study about the integrity of customs has shown. The corridor starts from Mombasa and passes through Nairobi, Kampala, Rwanda, DR Congo, Tanzania and Sudan.
“Many clearing agents said they were forced to pay bribes at different transit points to reduce delay of their cargo through the clearing process,†Steadman Group’s research director Caroline Matiko said.
Matiko said this during a press conference called by Federation of East African Freight Forwarders and USAID’s Anti Corruption Programme (ACP) at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel. The survey was done by Steadman Group.
There were different levels of corruption at different transit points. Mutukula is more prone to corruption than Busia.
Dar-es-Salaam is slower than Mombasa.
Charles Kareba, the chairman of the Uganda Freight Forwarding Association, said: “Some people hear of corruption among clearing agents and assume that everyone is corrupt. It is important for the industry to clean up our image,†Kareba said.
Theo Lyimo, the ACP programme director, said corruption in the Northern Corridor affects everyone.
“It is important to have reliable clearing agents as they handle our cash and goods. If they are not reliable, you can’t be sure that they wont stuff your export container with drugs or anything,†Lyimo said.
TRYING to reduce delay of cargo along the Northern Transit Transport Corridor is a major cause of bribes, a study about the integrity of customs has shown. The corridor starts from Mombasa and passes through Nairobi, Kampala, Rwanda, DR Congo, Tanzania and Sudan.
“Many clearing agents said they were forced to pay bribes at different transit points to reduce delay of their cargo through the clearing process,†Steadman Group’s research director Caroline Matiko said.
Matiko said this during a press conference called by Federation of East African Freight Forwarders and USAID’s Anti Corruption Programme (ACP) at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel. The survey was done by Steadman Group.
There were different levels of corruption at different transit points. Mutukula is more prone to corruption than Busia.
Dar-es-Salaam is slower than Mombasa.
Charles Kareba, the chairman of the Uganda Freight Forwarding Association, said: “Some people hear of corruption among clearing agents and assume that everyone is corrupt. It is important for the industry to clean up our image,†Kareba said.
Theo Lyimo, the ACP programme director, said corruption in the Northern Corridor affects everyone.
“It is important to have reliable clearing agents as they handle our cash and goods. If they are not reliable, you can’t be sure that they wont stuff your export container with drugs or anything,†Lyimo said.