Kajiado County Commissioner James Taari has urged security enforcement officers in the county to be keen to protect what the Kenyan citizens consume.
Speaking in Isinya after detectives from Kitengela, in partnership with Kenya Revenue Authority officers, seized uncustomed goods worth Sh56 million at Kimalat along the Kitengela-Namanga road, the county commissioner said that he is aware that there are some officers who collude with criminals to allow such goods through the borders.
“I want to send a word to the officers to kindly do their work. We want to make sure that we seal the gaps where we also miss our revenue targets, but at the same time we also ought to make sure that we safeguard what our citizens consume,” said Taari.
While affirming that the incident was not only a revenue issue but also a national security issue, the county commissioner assured the public that they shall make sure their security is guaranteed.
The multi-agency team intercepted a lorry which was suspected to be transporting uncustomed goods. A search conducted revealed that it was carrying 1,135 boxes of cigarettes of the Supermatch brand, which were misrepresented in declarations at the Namanga border and in the importation documents as sunflower.
The lorry and its illicit cargo were securely detained at Isinya Police Station as detectives continue to probe how the vehicle managed to breach authorised border checkpoints, which are equipped with operational scanners.
By Diana Meneto
