KAMPALA —Military intelligence to attached Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) customs docket has commenced investigations into the
theft of commercial cargo and personal effects worth $ 2,465,852 belonging to a Ugandan-American entrepreneur and investment trader, Paul Mwesigwa Migadde.
Mr. Migadde, a son to former Vice President Dr. Samson B. M. Kisekka had recently petitioned President Museveni and other graft agencies including Col. Edith Nakalema-led State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SH-ACU) to intervene after a Uganda Revenue Authority customs bonded system, Kenfreight Uganda Ltd allegedly stole his cargo in what he described as a coordinated and sophisticated manner.
Now, this website has obtained exclusive information that Uganda Revenue Authority Commissioner General John Musinguzi Rujoki has picked interest in the matter and that he has since tasked Colonel Ignatius Wamundu Cassette, an officer with considerable military experience in intelligence and operations to probe and recover the cargo at all costs.
This website has learnt that on Tuesday, December 28, URA customs officials led by Col. Wamundu Cassette held a closed door meeting with Mr. Migadde, who is the Executive Director, Infinite Multi Solutions, LLC, an American company and dully registered in Uganda.
The meeting held in Temangaalo, Wakiso District at the home of former Vice President Samson Kisseka was reportedly attended by a few family members and URA staff attached to customs department and a team of other investigators from the military.
Whereas details of the high profile meeting remain scanty, a family source who paid attention to the proceedings said investigators were shocked by the level of frustration subjected to Mr. Migadde and promised to expedite the investigations.
A source also said that Mr. Migadde and other family members briefed investigators and also submitted accompanying documents including tax evidence receipts, packing receipts and all other necessary documents to aid the investigations.
Col. Wamundu and other investigators were reportedly shocked by level of fraud inflicted on the businessman….
Col. Wamundu, particularly, the source said, apologized to the business community on behalf of URA and said the taxman had embarked on a duty to address integrity of staff and all stakeholders in the tax collection ecosystem through improved organizational structure aligned with digital age.
Testimonies
When, an online website, www.ugstandard.com, first published the story in early December, several Ugandans in Diaspora revealed massive frustration and theft of their cargo frustration by Kenfrieght Uganda Ltd.
Mr. Richard Sensalo, the CEO and Founder Nilotikana Shea Butter, an American company based Los Angeles commented:
“12 years ago, l almost lost my Kamunye /Kigege (Toyota Hiace) to Kenfreight. They inflated the price of the vehicle beyond it’s actual purchasing price. l had all the receipts but they stubbornly refused to honor it and they insisted that the vehicle was brand new. l had proof that it was a used vehicle but my pleas fell on deaf ears. A close friend of mine, the late Wilberforce Wamala came to my rescue and bought the vehicle in bond because l had to travel back to UK. Some of the Fridges l had in the 40ft container, disappeared. Ken freight company is so corrupt.”
Ms. Josephine Ssaali who works as a nurse in the United States of America said that fraudulent agents such Kenfrieght Uganda Ltd made cancel her plans of returning home.
“This is my worst nightmare!!!!
This is so off putting for anyone thinking of relocating back home! Tulabye nnyo.
I hope this case gets resolved,” she said, urging URA Commissioner General clean the system.
Mr. Ronnie Mayanja of Uganda Diaspora Network Inc asked Uganda Revenue Authority to come clean and help re-assure the diaspora community by investigating Kenfrieght Uganda Limited and sanctioning the company for frustrating potential investors.
Background and stolen items
According to www.ugstandard.com. Migadde in mid-2015 returned to Uganda from the United State of America to establish a multi-functional investment businesses under Infinite Multi Solutions, LLC. He also returned with investment assists, personal and household effects worth $2.5M.
Migadde also shipped into the country over 1557 pieces of products in different quantities that were attractive and sellable items.
He says this was his company’s investment backbone and that all the cargo were essential to the survival of his company
“The goods/cargo were superbly selected for easy marketing and optimal quality for the livelihood of Ugandans,” Migadde told UG Standard.
Key among the goods were hospital equipment and Furniture, Hospital Electronics and dental equipment, Office equipment, sundry supplies and hotel furniture, other hospitality entities, Restaurant equipment & Gadgets, household furniture, commodities, food server systems & commercial kitchen equipment.
Others were, his personal effects, including
INFINITE MULTI SOLUTIONS LLC’s (2) Company Desktop computers and (2) Laptops Computers, with Barcode Scanners, Printers, Intellectual Business Concept Software, Developmental Company operational and management Software, Business Factions Software, Company Soft Document Copies and Marketing Involution Software, Company Top Business Sophisticated Secrets, Priceless Arts of Work, Innovative Collections of DATA and Documents of Critical Researched Information.
“My personal laptop and a desktop computers, had on them all of my installed educational software, all my college work notes, other Data & E-books, personal information and documents that are priceless and there’s no way I will ever get them Back in life! (lifetime damage)”
“The most depressing situation and position that I was personally pushed into, all my personal and household effects that were “Tax Exempted” and my SUV Truck 2004 Ford Excursion, (which may be the only one in country) were all corruptly stolen from me!”
“My personal and household effects were quite precious, and some priceless. i.e. like any organized person out there, it takes a long period of time to put together home essentials and at times very expensively & depending on where they are bought, no price tag can be put on those household properties which I lost to those organized thieves and hold lots of attachments to me, and the emotional damage is for a lifetime!” he wrote in a very detailed letter to the President.
How Cargo was stolen
Migadde claims that some Kenfright staff opened his eyes to a planned collusion between URA posted representative at the Warehouse and top Kenfrieght management staffs, who stole his goods and used the Ugandan court system to “accomplish their theft”.
They bought cargo shipping containers without my approval because they wanted to make it intentionally hard for me to pay accumulated costs,” he said noting that the container replacement value was $21.780.00 and after paying this sum, the containers would have been his.
“But they then said that the containers were Kenfreight properties! And that actual total bill that I was to pay should have been $32,718.65 only, (that is ICD Costs) instead, they presented to court a more than $80,000.00 bill.”
He added: “Their greediness surfaced when they saw the value and the quality of the goods, on the original packing lists which were then changed in order for them to under pay the URA taxes; such changes were done without my consent.”
He says the whole processes had in illegalities and one thing followed to another until he lost his whole consignment.
“Their knowing that I had lived out of the country for a long time, lured them into engaging in many tricks up to the extent of the manager suggesting to offer me some money in exchange for the goods because I wouldn’t manage Uganda’s business atmosphere!”
He added: “They knowingly and willfully, twisted the Law to acquire legal advantages plus violating customs regulations, until they pushed their Lawyer into drafting an agreement that I was to sign alone with them! This Customs Bonded Warehouse hides behind Ugandan tax body (URA) using falsehood against URA in order to surplice and torment me to give into their demand”.
“Lastly, I declined to accept all the wrong offers and the advances that were made to me because, we have invested in this vision a lot of time, money and loans (both in USA and Uganda). INFINITE MULTI SOLUTIONS LLC is co-owned by different American citizens and they all injected into the company their life savings and took in loans in order for the company to be established. We also have clutch of businesses that trust us back in the U.S. Pointedly, the business ethics that I live by as an entrepreneur, restrain me from behaving cunningly. Also, it wasn’t my plan to sell my SUV truck. I being a returning resident, it didn’t come to their mind that INFINITE MULTI SOLUTIONS LLC is a USA company and our sole purpose for bringing in the goods they stole, was to invest in Uganda”.
“They coerced me into signing an agreement they generated purporting that; I had consented to bind me in the content of the agreement! They even refused to host my Counsel and my family members, whom I had gone with as witnesses to the process!”
“Therefore, it was only themselves, their Counsel, the Company’s General Manager and the Operations Manager, who signed the documents on their part and committed me to sign, claiming that; if I did not sign they would sell my cargo. Kenfreight (U) Ltd, prepared a letter to Maersk Line Shipping Company, alleging that I had abandoned my cargo in their warehouse. In the end, Kenfreight used the uganda Judicial System, to misappropriate all my cargo worth $2,465,852.05, including the tax exempted container with personal effects and the vehicle under the fraudulent charge that, I had failed to pay the taxes on my Imports, as well as their due charges, for clearing my cargo.
“They then executed a court case against me (exparte) in my absence because I was neither served with case proceeding nor notified. Since that time, key Kenfreight staff, have been threatening my life and the life of those who try to help me! This led me into hiding for some time. Kenfreight and some other custom bonded warehousing companies in Uganda, use highly sophisticated extortion methods, to extract valuables from importers! It is an organized syndicate that has a lot of players in different organs of the Ugandan government, I have since discovered!”
Migadde had paid over UGX.85 million to URA in taxes.
A Uganda Revenue Authority spokesperson told this website that the tax body would investigate the scam also announce regulatory sanctions against Kenfrieght.
Source: UG Standard.
