Sofia estate on the Kenya-Uganda border in Busia County strikes a first-time visitor as a sleepy hamletdotted with hundreds of wooden and mud-walled shacks.
But behind the veil of derelict structures and abandoned market stalls, cartels make a fortune through cross-border smuggling of sugar, rice, bales of second-hand clothes, cigarettes, charcoal and second-generation alcoholic drinks.
The Sofia underworld is conveniently masked by the bustle of human activity and speeding boda bodas, which gives it the aura of a mushrooming slum.
To an innocent onlooker, nothing seems unusual as children, men on wheelchairs, boda boda riders, drivers of lorries, Probox and Toyota Wish station wagons cross the busy border post to either Uganda or Kenya, as grim-faced police officers on both sides clutch at their guns and watch with bored disinterest.
The officers however snap to attention when a boda boda rider approaches carrying goods and needs to be cleared to proceed to his destination.
At Sofia, boda boda riders approach the police roadblocks at high speed and slam on the brakes after being waved to a stop by the officers.
After a brief exchange of knowing glances, the riders speed across with their goods safely strapped to the pillions of their motorcycles.
Border post
What one might not realise is that some of the other people crossing the border post, including children and even men on wheelchair, could be ferrying thousands of shillings worth of contraband on behalf of the Sofia cartels.
The drivers of some of the vehicles crossing the border post too are part of the smuggling racket and are, therefore, never stopped or their luggage checked.
The cartels pull the strings from behind the scenes to ensure security officers are taken care of so as not to interfere with the thriving illicit trade.
The cross-border trade is hugely profitable. For illustration’s sake, a 50 kilogramme bag of sugar is selling at Sh4,000 in Uganda but once the commodity crosses into Kenya and lands in the shops, the price increases to Sh6,000.
The cartels repackage the sugar in packets that bear striking likeness to those of leading Kenyan brands.
The designated ‘No man’s land’ at the border point has been turned into a dumping site by the traders. Then there is a noisy but very popular slum on the Ugandan side of the border where traditional brews are sold. Here, the customers sit on wooden benches as they sip their drinks, including enguli, which is similar to the illicit chang’aa in Kenya.
Before setting off for Sofia estate and later Marachi, another sprawling slum on the Kenyan side of the border, my guide had warned me not to arouse any suspicion that I am a journalist.
Just before we crossed over to the Ugandan side of the border, I approached a Kenyan police officer and asked him how safe it was for us to venture into Sofia estate.
Arrested
“Have you been here before? Be careful because you might end up being arrested. Anyway, why are you going to Sofia?” asked the officer.
I told him I wanted to buy some items across the border as I had been told they were cheaper there.
“For a small fee, I can identify a bodaboda rider to help you transport the goods across the border once you have bought them,” said the officer.
During my two-hour tour of Sofia, I had an encounter with money changers, who stay at strategic points to monitor the movements of strangers.
At an open yard not far from the crossing point, a truck arrived loaded with bags of charcoal.
My guide told me the bags of charcoal would later be smuggled across the border into Kenya, where they fetch huge profits.
Marachi, the Nation learnt, crawls with criminal gangs who also smuggle goods across the border, besides other illegal activities.
There were several Probox and Toyota Wish station wagons parked in strategic places within Marachi estate.
My guide took me around the sprawling slum, pointing out the illegal routes used by criminals to sneak commodities across the border. There are illegal routes at Alupe, Busitami, Soko Matope and other towns.
The sugar is first moved at night to secret stores in Busia town by bodaboda riders. It is then repackaged before being transported in lorries to Nairobi, Kisumu, Nakuru, Mombasa and other major towns.
As the illegal sugar trade continues, cane farmers from Western region accuse the police of protecting the cartels and abetting the dumping of cheap sugar in the local market.
Mr Peter Odima, the national secretary of the Kenya Association of Sugarcane and Allied Products (KASAP) said influential individuals were behind smuggling of sugar to raise money for election campaigns.
“The smuggling of sugar is happening during the day and at night yet no arrests are made. This has further mired the ailing sugar industry into a crisis and deepened the suffering farmers are going through,” said Mr Odima.
Mr Bonface Manda, an activist with Bunge la Haki, Usawa na Maendeleo, said: “We are petitioning the government to intervene and stop the smuggling of sugar from neighbouring countries into the local market.”
Farmers wondered why the Kenya Revenue Authority, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and the police were not taking action against the cartels.
Last month, police impounded 2.5 tonnes of sugar and other counterfeit goods valued at Sh4.5 million in Marachi estate during a crackdown on smuggling at the border town.
Nine suspects were arrested as they were repacking the sugar at a store and loading it into four vehicles.
Busia County Commissioner John Korir told the Nation that the police had intensified surveillance at the border targeting the cartels.
“We are doing everything possible to deal with the cartels linked to smuggling of sugar and other contraband goods. The crackdown will go on until the situation is brought under control,” said Mr Korir.
Western Region Police Commander Peres Kimani said: “We have our officers on the ground and we urge the public to give us information so that we can arrest the suspects and charge them,” said Ms Kimani.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya had also promised that the government would do everything possible to eradicate the cartels exploiting sugarcane farmers.
“We cannot allow a situation where a farmer who has used his energy and resources to farm and develop the cash crop ends up with nothing,” he said.
Mr Munya pointed out they would continue to implement President Uhuru Kenyatta’s agenda and to clean up the once-lucrative sector. BY DAILY NATION
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