Former Kenyan Assistant Minister Arrested in Uganda Over Gold Smuggling Claims

Ugandan authorities have apprehended former Internal Security Assistant Minister Stephen Tarus on charges of smuggling 13 kilograms of gold into the country using counterfeit paperwork.

The value of this amount of gold is estimated to be Sh134 million ($845,821). Tarus was apprehended last week and presented before an anti-corruption court in Uganda on Wednesday. He will be detained at Luzira prison until January 18 as further inquiries are conducted into his suspected participation in a gold smuggling scheme linked to Kampala and the fabrication of export records. Tarus is anticipating accusations of gold smuggling, deceit, and the forging of documents by the Uganda Revenue Authority.

Discovered within the collection of documents is a receipt indicating a payment of $30,000 made in Kampala for the transportation of the gold. The 57-year-old previously held the position of assistant minister under former President Mwai Kibaki and served as Kenya’s high commissioner to Australia from 2009 to 2012. Additionally, he represented the Emgwen constituency in Parliament from 2003 to 2007. According to the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime, Uganda is heavily involved in the illicit smuggling of gold from neighbouring countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. Kenya is also involved to a lesser extent.

The illegal trade of gold thrives due to its convenient mobility and trading opportunities, particularly in unstable regions like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan. As confirmed by a 2017 report from the United Nations Group of Experts, Uganda serves as a gateway for this gold to enter the global market.

“Once the smuggled gold arrives in Uganda, traders claim it is of Ugandan origin, supported by fraudulent documentation that is difficult for the authorities to disprove,” the report says.