Works at Uganda’s teargas plant kick off, production to start in 2024

Uganda is set to start production of teargas by the year 2024 after works to put up a mini-plant located in Nakasongola kicked off, the Nile Post has learnt.

In 2020, government   through the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation entered a deal with Samuel Mugarura, a former Makerere University student at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity to develop his teargas prototype to standard and start manufacturing the product.

Sources familiar with the development but didn’t want to be named have told this website that currently, the works are at commercialization level.

“The process has already started and by 2024, Uganda will have the first teargas plant in East and Central Africa,” the source said.

The commercialization level means the teargas chemical composition has now been developed for industrial production and soon equipment will be imported and set up as part of the process of the plant set up.

This website has learnt that it will be a mini-plant with capacity to produce teargas for use in Uganda and the region with focus on countries like Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC among others.

“Uganda will make huge returns since this is the first of its kind in East and Central Africa. Other teargas plants are in South Africa and Egypt.”

Another source told this website that enough canister designs have been made as part of the manufacturing process.

The developer will work with Luweero Industries which is a subsidiary of UPDF’s National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) together with other international partners.

When contacted for a comment over the matter, the developer, Samuel Mugarura said he had no information about the same but said President Museveni is always willing to support innovators like him.

“I am extremely happy that the president has kept on supporting youth and innovation and I am, sure he is the biggest driving force to take Uganda to  the vision needed. I am extremely thankful to  Makerere University  for habouring  us and the  president  for supporting innovations,”Mugarura said.

Teargas product

In 2016, Mugarura then 23 years old and still a student at Makerere University announced he could manufacture teargas using local materials, a product he said had been improved to a level used by police to quell riots.

He later tested his product successfully.

“I have now developed a fully functioning teargas canister that can be used by government to quell riots. We have included irritants from natural products like onions, mangoes and hot pepper which have no effect on the health of people to whom it is thrown,” Mugarura said.

He noted that since the ingredients are made from natural products, his product does not have any effect on the life of people unlike the ones used by police that are toxic and have a cancer effect.

“It has a time of 4 seconds before exploding after removing the spring(trigger) which makes it difficult for any person to have a chance to throw it back to police during a riot, ”he says .

Named MS 23, Mugarura’s product is cost effective and goes for about $10, a cost he says is lower than the one by international companies which he said would help save alot of money for government.

He revealed that he has also developed pepper sprays that can be used by members of the public for their safety at a lower price than the ones used by police.

“The farmers of mangoes, onions and hot pepper will get markets for their products as well as creating jobs by this product. You never know the country can start exporting some of it to other countries and we earn something to help us attain the middle income status,” he noted.

“Ugandans will be employed both directly and indirectly. At a full-scale operational stage after commercialization, the project is envisaged to employ about 1000-1500 people directly and indirectly, majority of whom are local farmers who need boosting in their household incomes.”

In 2017, Mugarura secured a patent (utility model) for the formula of our riot gas chemical from Africa Regional Intellectual Property Organization ARIPO, Harare, Zimbabwe.

The mini-plant can  produce about 5000 canisters a day.

https://nilepost.co.ug/2021/12/31/developer-fails-to-secure-govt-funding-to-set-up-ugandas-first-teargas-manufacturing-plant/