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- May 11, 2013
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The government deployed 200 police officers on Thursday to escort transit cargo at the troubled Port of Mombasa to curb diversions.
The newly established Northern Corridor Transit Patrol Unit comprises 10 sectors each headed by a senior superintendent.
It comes a few months after an order by President Uhuru Kenyatta. Uhuru asked IG Joseph Boinnet to establish a police force to escort cargo on September 3, when he commissioned a Sh30 billion container terminal at the port.
He ordered Boinnet to set up the unit to curb tax evasion, smuggling of contraband and drugs, saying unscrupulous businessmen collude with police andKenya Revenue Authority and Kenya Ports Authority officials to smuggle contraband and drugs and divert transit cargo.
Several police officers, including some of those attached to the Kenya Revenue and Kenya Ports authorities, have been arraigned over tax evasion syndicates.
But the President said his government will deal firmly with corrupt officials who operate cartels at the port, costing Kenya millions of shillings in revenue losses.
Police spokesperson Charles Owino noted the loss of revenue but underlined that the new unit will take charge and keep the situation under control.
"The officers will directly report to Nairobi. It is a serious assignment... We will not give room for any corrupt individual," he told the Star by phone on Friday.
Read: Uhuru issues warning to drugs, corruption cartels at Mombasa port
Several countries, among them Uganda and Tanzania, and other stakeholders have been crying foul over the theft of money and cargo diversions at the port.
Tayebwa Katureebe, the Uganda consulate in Mombasa, said they were concerned about the corridors.
He said security needed to be beefed up and a proper communication channel established.
State deploys 200 officers to escort transit cargo from Mombasa port
