The top management at the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) is in a state of oblivion after the preliminary investigations on the caged notorious smuggler Timothy Segane over alleged tax evasion, customs fraud and trader exploitation link some senior staff at the tax body. Segane was arrested late last month by a URA enforcement team in line to curtail revenue leakages, corruption and practices that frustrate legitimate trade.

He is currently remanded at Luzira Prison till September 16, 2026 when he will appear in court to face several cases that include but not limited to tax evasion, under-declaration of customs duties and allegedly holding onto imported merchandise belonging to several traders.

Rujoki Musinguzi

The sources within the investigation department have since established that the top fraudster whose arrest took long due to his alleged connections within the security apparatus has been working closely with some URA staff members. Although the investigators have not yet established the exact transaction between Segane and the URA staff, his phone records indicate that they often communicate.

Insiders within the investigation unit claim that four senior staff that include Henry Kwarigonza (Acting Commissioner Customs), Moses Kyomuhendo (Manager Enforcement Operations), Fiona Nyamurungi Tubeine (Manager Trade – transit Monitoring) and Dr Godfrey Owich Okaka (Assistant Commissioner for Field Services) will soon be put to task to explain their association with Segane.

It is not yet clear whether Segane’s litany of sins were committed in connivance with the mentioned senior officers but his apprehension may widen the magnitude of investigation.

It should be mentioned that a few months ago, the Commissioner General John Musinguzi Rujoki together with some staff became suspicious about the business leakages and suspended the Commissioner of Customs Hajji Asadu Kisitu Kigozi and subjected him to disciplinary action. The Commissioner General wanted the board to take immediate action but this has not come to pass. On August 24, 2026, the Board Secretary Catherine Donovan Kyokunda wrote to Asadu inviting him for a disciplinary hearing scheduled for August 25, 2026 – the invitation was for hours. It is hitherto not known why the meeting flopped but what is on record following the letter this publication has accessed, the board secretary rescheduled a meeting to September 3, 2026 at 3:00pm on 19th floor, URA headquarters. The second meeting did not take place and no explanation/excuse has since been given.

Hajji Asadu

As the events to squeeze Asadu in a disciplinary hearing intensified, the most wanted man, Segane was also arrested and according to experts this may warrant the investigations to take an interesting twist with more people added to the charge sheet. The question to the Commissioner General however is; will he suspend more staff members suspected to be linked to illicit transactions at the tax body as established from the arrested agents confession and phone records? The concern is; Will the Commissioner General expose the names of those implicated or he will cover up his own team!

Despite Asadu nemesis’ prayers that Segane’s arrest would directly implicate him, sources close to investigations intimate that the phone records so far exonerate the suspended Commissioner of Customs. This will soon confirm that his tormentors and persecutors are hiding behind the excuses of performance to exhibit their tribal, religious and sectarian connotations against Asadu. This does not only raise grave questions about fairness, equal treatment, and institutional integrity before the board, but creates gaps for further investigation about the staff members whose phone records have been linked to Segane.

Just like a biblical sermon in Matthew 27:22-26, where the Jews and the teachers of the law took innocent Jesus to Pontius Pilate accusing him of calling himself a messiah and calling for his crucifixion. The Governor of the Roman Province of Judea did not see any evil in Jesus and when the multitude kept shouting that crucify him, he took water and washed his hands saying; I am innocent of the blood of this just person. He released Barabbas and delivered Jesus for crucifixion. The moral lesson in the allegory is that Asadu has been offered for crucifixion when the ‘Barabbases’ may remain free despite their transgressions being written in black and white.

URA BOARD DIVIDED?

Though Kyokunda’s second letter dated to September 27, 2026 to Asadu had provided about six days for preparation to crucify the latter, the meeting flopped again. It is not clear why some members shunned it but insiders say that due to some disagreements the board itself is divided. It is said that about three members are in bed with the URA management but the rest are watching the unfolding events from a distance since this circus comes at a time when the revenue performance of the tax body has dropped badly. The drama at URA in the past few months is a clear testimony that things are not going on well. It even gets worse when they wash their dirty linen in public. The traders and Ugandans of sound mind believe that the few people who include Emmanuel Lutaaya and the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) Manager for External Operations in Customs (stationed in Dar es Salaam) Geoffrey Ssozi Kawere and Segane that have been arrested and publicly condemned are a tip of an iceberg to the bigger and complicated problem. The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has been characterized by infighting, bickering and intrigue that has resulted in leadership shake-up and unexpected resignations. In August last year the Commissioner for Domestic Taxes, Sarah M. Chelangat resigned. Though she did not detail the reasons for her resignation, insiders contend that the decision stemmed from a growing sense of under appreciation, bickering and internal frustrations. By the time she resigned, Chelangat was switched to the Tax Investigations Department but declined the appointment due to the alleged hidden motives in her bosses’ minds.

About Segane

Timothy Segane is a Ugandan clearing agent and the director of Timways Logistics and Enterprises Limited who was arrested and remanded in August 2026 on charges of smuggling and tax evasion. The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) enforcement team arrested Segane on August 25, 2026, following allegations that he tried to bribe a customs officer. He faces four main charges before the Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court, including tax evasion, making false declarations to customs, corruption, and conspiring to break customs laws. URA officials accuse Segane of operating as an unscrupulous “container leader”. He allegedly withheld imported merchandise from various traders for months and falsely blamed the URA for the delays.