Minister Amelia Kyambadde has sounded a warning to business people that deal in selling and supplying sachet waragi to empty their shelves before next month, saying this will be illegal starting June 1st.
While addressing a meeting at the Office of the Prime Minister auditorium yesterday, Tuesday afternoon, The Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Hon. Amelia Kyambadde said that anyone caught selling sachet waragi will have their goods impounded and confiscated while those caught packing waragi in sachets will have their license revoked.
The Minister was highlighting the achievements reached upon by her Ministry under the 2016-2021 NRM manifesto.
" If by June 1 we find sachets on shelves, licenses will be lost. Even the imported sachets will face the same fate. We have set up a committee that will be moving around to ensure the full implementation of the ban." - The Minister said in part.
The minister blamed the sachets on the increased bodaboda accidents and poor teacher performances in schools saying people have resorted to drinking while at work.
She noted that government directed all sachet waragi companies to replace the sachets with at least a 200ml bottle and sell it at a price higher and above 2000 shillings.
She explained the reasoning, " We directed these companies to replace the sachets with a 200ML bottle and sell it above 2000. This will make it hard for many Ugandans to afford it."
Last year, the government gave sachet waragi companies a deadline of 31st May 2019 to comply with the ban on manufacturing and distributing sachet spirits.
Uganda has been trying to enforce the ban on the sale of alcohol in sachets since 2010. In that year, parliament supported the ban led by Kinkizi MP Christ Baryomunsi. He was working with joint committees from the Social Services and Tourism and Trade and Industry.
