Taxman 6

CUSTOMS
IN A 2016 NUTSHELL
By Herbert Ssempogo
have a 10:00am appointment with the
I Commissioner Customs but the parking problem
delays me! As I walk up to Crested Towers’ 8th floor,
Dicksons Kateshumbwa sees me.
“How are you?” towering Kateshumbwa, dressed in
a blue suit and holding a cup of tea, asks. I tell him
I am okay and follow him.
I am called into his office over forty-five minutes
later. The previous night, he tells me, was actionpacked
due to a crackdown on smugglers.
That is the huge responsibility that comes with
heading the Customs Department.
Kateshumbwa became Commissioner over a year
ago. Reflecting on the past months, the Customs
Airbus, as it is sometimes called, continues to soar.
“We have had a very successful year,” he states,
arguing that Customs is the organization’s
“heartbeat.”
Regarding revenue, the department “has performed
relatively well.”
Over the past year, revenue grew by over 12%
from 4318.8bn to 4832bn. The average clearance
time of cargo has gone to roughly 3days down from
about 4 days.
Kateshumbwa attributes the performance to
reforms among them the One Stop Border Post
(OSBP). Under OSBP, goods are only stopped once
at borders. Four OSBPs namely Mutukula, Malaba,
Busia and Mirama Hills have since been launched.
“There is no congestion at borders anywhere,”
Kateshumbwa adds.
Another reform, the Single Customs Territory
(pre-arrival declaration), is credited for
reducing the clearance time, reducing the
cost of doing business and increasing the
institution’s efficiency.
The accredited Authorised Economic
Operators (AEO) have increased from 10 to
28. Under AEO, compliant companies enjoy
privileges like faster clearance at borders and
ports. AEO is beneficial to URA and importers.
The Electronic Single Window, a system,
which offers information and facilitates permit
issuance among others, is another of the
recent successes.
Launched in November 2016, it is easing the
work of URA, Uganda National Bureau of
Standards (UNBS) and the Uganda Coffee
Development Authority and other Government
agencies.
The Electronic Cargo Tracking system, is being
adopted by Kenya. Goods are monitored from
Mombasa. Trademark East Africa has funded
project. Democratic Republic of Congo is also
interested in the system.
Customs, according to Kateshumbwa,
has benefitted from “strategic and bilateral
partnerships” with China, Korea, Dubai, UN
8
8