For years, Ugandan traders have been affected by a costly and confusing system involving middlemen known as container leaders, (individuals and companies) who take control of rheir imported goods, then delay their release while demanding extra and illegal payments.
Now several companies have been named in connection with the practice, including Busundo Investments, Sifcargo, Odman Holdings, Finiva Logistics, Twine Logistics, Maris Cargo U Ltd, Campsbay Impex, Segtex Logistics, and Apex Forwarders, among others.
At the center of the revelation by the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) is a pattern traders say has become routine, where after paying clearing and logistics agents, their goods are still not released. Instead, the container leaders tell importers that additional money is required, often claiming that the tax collecting body still needs more money before the cargo can be released.
In some cases, traders are told that URA is holding the goods, and that more money must be paid to clear the container, a thing URA has consistently dismissed as false, saying its mandate is strictly to clear the goods and collect lawful taxes, and once payment is made and clearance is completed, goods are released without delay.
Despite this, traders say they end up paying extra charges under pressure, believing the claims that their goods are stuck with URA requirements yet in actual sense, the delays and costs are being driven by private by the so-called container leaders controlling the cargo.
The alleged model is simple but damaging as container leaders take charge of the shipment, delay or manipulate clearance processes, then introduce additional charges framed as official or URA-related payments. The goods remain withheld until the trader complies.
Over time, this has led to repeated complaints from importers who say they pay in full but still do not receive their merchandise on time. Others say their cargo is held for weeks or even months while costs keep accumulating.
URA says this narrative that it is holding traders’ goods beyond lawful clearance is incorrect and misleading, stressing that its role ends once taxes are paid and clearance procedures are completed.
In response to the growing complaints, traders affected by these practices have now been invited to assist in investigations targeting the fraud network. According to the ongoing enforcement effort, traders are being asked to report and support action against the implicated firms.
Affected importers are expected to go to URA Tower in Nakawa, specifically the 16th floor (Office of the Commissioner, Executive Office Operations), where they will be assisted in tracing and recovering their cargo once they provide proof of ownership and payment of lawful charges.
Traders are required to carry supporting documents including national IDs, receipts, invoices, packing lists, tracking numbers, and any correspondence with logistics providers.
The crackdown is aimed at dismantling the container leader system, a parallel structure within the import chain where intermediaries control goods, delay clearance, and inflate costs while misleading traders about the role of URA.
For many importers, the issue has long gone beyond delays, turning into a system where control over physical cargo is used to extract repeated payments.
With companies now publicly named and traders being drawn into the investigation process, pressure is mounting on the logistics sector over how deeply the practice has been embedded, and how long it has gone unchecked.
