Ex Kenyan Minister Kipkiyeny arrested by URA over gold smuggling, remanded

In a shocking turn of events, former Kenyan Minister Stephen Kipkiyeny Tarus has been apprehended by the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) enforcement unit on charges of gold smuggling, allegedly leading to a significant revenue loss for the Government of Uganda.

This has been reported by digital platform Tax Crime Watch Africa and retweeted by URA on X (former twitter).

Prior to his recent run-in with the law, Tarus served as Kenyan Minister and also held the prestigious position of Kenya’s High Commissioner to Australia from 2009 to 2012.

Kipkiyeny who served under President Mwai Kibaki’s administration as the Assistant Minister of Internal Security is currently remanded at Luzira Prison until 18/Jan/2024 on charges of gold scamming, smuggling and forgery of URA documents.

According to URA officials, Tarus was detained following an investigation that uncovered his involvement in an illegal gold smuggling operation, leading to substantial financial losses for the Ugandan government. The gold smuggling network allegedly orchestrated by Tarus is believed to have evaded customs duties and taxes, posing a significant threat to Uganda’s economic stability.

The authorities have yet to release specific details regarding the scale of the alleged smuggling operation or how long it has been in operation. However, it is expected that a thorough investigation will be conducted to unravel the entire network and determine the extent of the financial losses incurred by the Ugandan government.

Tarus has reportedly been remanded to Luzira Prison. The case is likely to draw significant attention in the coming days as more information emerges about the former minister’s alleged involvement in the gold smuggling ring and its impact on Uganda’s revenue.