The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has seized 17,770 litres of illicit alcohol during an operation in Nakulabye and Kiwunya areas in Kampala. This comes amidst complaints from the major formal brewers, distillers as well as consumers about substandard alcoholic products on the market, with reports including deaths from consumption.
Illicit alcohol dominates Uganda’s beverage landscape, accounting for between 67.3 and 70 percent of the total alcohol market volume, according to a study by Euromonitor International commissioned by the Uganda Alcohol Industry Association (UAIA).
On average, alcohol-consuming Ugandans drink 4.6 litres of pure illicit alcohol per year, compared to just 2.3 litres of standardized, legal alcohol, including traditional brews like Malwa, Kasese, Kwen and Arege, many of which are considered health risks.
The UNBS surveillance team also uncovered approximately 8,500 litres of unlabelled neutral spirit and about 600 bottles of uncertified gin, each in 200ml bottles or sachets.
The operation was conducted under the UNBS Act, Cap 210, the UNBS Market Surveillance Regulations, 2022, and applicable standards, including US EAS 109:2018 – Potable Spirit Specification and US 1028:2013 – Labelling Requirements for Pre-packaged Products.
Some of the uncertified gin brands identified as Timing, Soccer (or Socar), Kyakabi, Revo and Cheza.UNBS says that at Brenda Beverages and Logistics Shop in Nakulabye, they seized 216 pieces of uncertified gin, while Mwanguhya Shop in Kiwunya had 350 bottles of uncertified gin seized.
The operation also uncovered significant quantities of illicit alcohol at several premises. Happy Emmanuels Stores reportedly had the largest seizure, with 9,120 litres of illicit alcohol, in addition to 4,500 litres of neutral spirit packed in 18 drums.
At Fred Asiimwe’s Store, UNBS says it seized 2,320 litres of illicit alcohol and approximately 4,000 litres of unlabelled neutral spirit contained in 16 drums.
Other seizures reportedly picked up included 3,500 litres at Harriets Shop, 1,570 litres at Lillies Quality Suppliers, 1,060 litres at Musoke Adolf Shop and 200 litres at Nakulabye Super Waragi and Spirit.
Earlier this year, Kazo County MP Dan Kimosho displayed 25 samples of what he called uncertified and illicit alcohol disguised as energy drinks or performance boosters on the floor of the Ugandan Parliament. Some of the products were said to bear fake standardisation marks similar to the Q-Mark provided by the UNBS.
UNBS has encouraged consumers to look for properly labelled and certified alcoholic products when making purchases and urges the public to report suspected uncertified, improperly labelled or otherwise non-compliant products for investigation.-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
