The recent United Nations report uncovering Kenya and Uganda as major transit hubs in South Sudan’s smuggling networks should be a wake-up call for the EAC. Gold, charcoal and oil—resources that should strengthen South Sudan’s economy—are instead entering the pockets of smugglers. This is no longer just South Sudan’s problem; it is a regional crisis weakening the regional dream of integration and prosperity.
The UN experts released a troubling truth: forged export documents and weak borders are making it easy for smugglers. Kenya’s role is especially telling. While official records show the country exported only 672 kilogrammes of gold in 2023, trade records from other nations reveal imports from Kenya of more than nine tonnes. That gap points to a succeeding black market, one allowing a flourishing base of weak enforcement. And in some cases, state awareness. Uganda is also named as a key player, with smuggling tracks going through towns like Arua and even refugee camps like Kenya’s Kakuma being used as transit points.
The damage runs deep. First, smuggling robs governments across the region of taxes. While East African nations are drowning in debt and citizens are struggling with high cost of living, smugglers enrich their way of life by robbing societies of funds critically needed for development. Second, it fuels conflicts in the region. What begins as petty, hidden acts often ends in arms smuggling, feeding conflict in South Sudan and creating instability into neighbouring countries.
The EAC cannot have it both ways. It cannot present itself as a serious bloc for economic growth while its borders are largely open to smugglers. The UN Security Council has made cargo inspections into South Sudan mandatory, yet the EAC remains silent. This indifference only empowers criminal networks.
We have seen the EAC act together before. Piracy on the Indian Ocean was dealt with through joint navy patrols. Cattle rustling has been met with cross-border security operations. Smuggling deserves the same level of seriousness.
What is required is a regional anti-smuggling task force—joint patrols, commitment to fighting smuggling, Customs officers should be better trained, intelligence shared, and accountability enforced.
Smuggling is not a minor issue—it is eating away at the foundation of East African unity. If the EAC continues to ignore it, then the very structure of regional integration itself is at risk.
Isaac Mwangi writes on social, political and economic issues in East Africa. E-mail: isaacmmwangi@gmail.com
