The government has been urged to strengthen Uganda’s consumer protection laws and enforcement mechanisms as consumers struggle to deal with substandard products, rising prices and new risks emerging from an increasingly digital marketplace.
The call was made during a media engagement organised by CONSENT-Uganda in Kasese District on Monday, under the theme: Consumer Justice and Protection. During the engagement, experts warned that weak market surveillance and gaps in regulation could leave consumers exposed to exploitation.
Patrick Sekitoleko, a standards expert, said regulatory agencies need to make consumer participation a central part of the standards-setting process and ensure that standards are regularly reviewed to respond to emerging risks.
He added that stronger market surveillance, risk-based inspections and better coordination among regulatory agencies are also necessary to identify unsafe or substandard products before they reach consumers.
Sekitoleko also raised concern over what he described as the “rocket-feather” syndrome, where prices rise sharply in response to inflation or other market pressures but remain high even after the factors that drove the increases have eased.
He urged manufacturers and other businesses to make compliance with quality and safety standards part of their operations from the design stage through sourcing, production and quality management, rather than treating compliance as an afterthought.
Sekitoleko also called on consumers to take a more active role in protecting themselves by checking for quality marks, reading product labels carefully, demanding receipts and reporting suspected unsafe or substandard products to the relevant authorities.
He said consumer protection is becoming even more complex as Uganda’s economy increasingly shifts online, with businesses adopting digital platforms and artificial intelligence to market and sell products and services.
Sekitoleko urged regulators to keep pace with technological developments and strengthen oversight of digital marketplaces to ensure that emerging technologies do not create new avenues for consumer exploitation.
He said effective standards are critical to building consumer confidence and trust, which are essential for a healthy and competitive market.
Henry Kimera, the Executive Director of CONSENT-Uganda, challenged journalists to play a stronger role in empowering consumers to demand value for their money and speak out when products or services fail to meet expected standards.
Kimera also urged the media to hold duty bearers accountable by questioning regulators and government agencies about their response to consumer complaints and emerging threats in the marketplace-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
