Wycliffe Nyamasege
Ugandan authorities have launched investigations into a human trafficking incident busted in Kenya-Uganda border on Friday morning.
According to Daily Monitor reports, officers manning Busia border were shocked after human beings were discovered in cardboard biscuit boxes that were being transported to Uganda using trucks with Kenyan number plates.
The two suspects are believed to be from different African countries and were about to make their way into Uganda when they were nabbed.
Read: 14 Ugandans Rescued From Human Traffickers In Gikomba
The suspects are said to have been screened for Ebola before they were driven to Kampala amid high security for interrogation.
Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) and the police immediately launched investigations and they are yet to unravel the motive behind the incident.
Dicksons Collins Kateshumbwa, the Commissioner Customs at URA has since confirmed the incident saying the drivers of the trucks were also arrested.
Also Read: 25 Female Burundians Rescued From Human Traffickers In Kiambu
“We intercepted them [people in biscuit boxes] at 4 am this morning at Busia border post using our Non-Intrusive inspection Technology (drive through scanners).
“The two people have been arrested by Customs Enforcement intelligence and are being held in Kampala for interrogation and we shall work with other agencies to understand the motives,” Kateshumbwa said.
The officer confirmed the presence of URA scanners at its border points but noted the need to add more to prevent such incidents in the future.
Also Read: Police Burst Human Traffickers In Kakamega, Rescue 38 Women
“This interception further underscores the importance of deploying more scanners at borders. We are deploying 7 more scanners by September and will be adding more in the course of the year.”
Despite Uganda’s Trafficking in Persons Act criminalizing human trafficking, the country remains a target destination for men, women and children trafficked for purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation.
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