Kakamega: Lorry driver jailed for smuggling cigarettes worth Ksh.26 million

The Chief Magistrate’s Court in Kakamega has sentenced a lorry driver after finding him guilty of smuggling cigarettes worth Ksh.26 million from Burundi. 

According to a statement from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), the driver, Shadrack Chirchir Kogo, was charged with the offence alongside Jacktone Andayi and Christabel Wafula for smuggling 350 cartons each containing 5,000 sticks of Supermatch cigarettes and 40 bags of smuggled wheat bran chicken feeds manufactured in Burundi that were found being offloaded at a premise in Kakamega. 

Following an intelligence-led operation by KRA officers and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the trio was arrested on October 15, 2023. 

The driver Kogo was charged in January 2024 for the offence, but his accomplices were, however, acquitted for lack of evidence. 

"KRA is collaborating with other law enforcement agencies and has put in place a robust mechanism for detecting, deterring and disrupting illicit trade and other forms of tax evasion," the statement read in part. 

The taxman appealed to the public to report any cases of tax evasion to ensure everyone pays their fair share of taxes.