URA Busts Own Customs Boss in Shs220m Bribe Sting

What the report says

Uganda Revenue Authority says it has arrested one of its senior customs managers, Geoffrey Ssozi Kawere, after an internal sting operation in Kampala allegedly caught him receiving $60,000, or about Shs220 million, from a taxpayer. According to URA, the money was linked to an effort to get a tax audit on a company suppressed, and the authority said the operation was based on information from a whistleblower.

URA’s Assistant Commissioner for Public and Corporate Affairs, Robert Kalumba, said the suspect’s side had initially sought $100,000 before the amount was negotiated down. The tax authority also said a clearing agent who allegedly helped arrange the transaction was arrested and is assisting investigators. URA said its legal team was preparing charges and that the recovered cash would be used as evidence in court.

Kawere denied the accusations, saying he had been framed by business operators unhappy with his enforcement work. He described the claims as incomplete and suggested the dispute involved cargo consolidation and earlier anti-fraud work in customs. His comments, as reported by Nile Post, were made after the arrest and have not been independently verified.

The case comes as URA says it is intensifying internal anti-corruption efforts and maintaining a zero-tolerance policy. More broadly, the incident highlights ongoing concerns about bribery and revenue leakage in tax administration, while the authority continues to urge the public to report suspected misconduct.