Alcohol bill was a non-starter, brewers say

Brewers have described the recently dropped Alcohol Bill as being a non-starter.

Parliament last week  dismissed the proposed 2023 Alcohol Bill after being said to have fallen short of addressing the real challenges like illicit trade in alcoholic drinks, alcohol abuse, quality control, enforcement mechanisms, personal freedoms, economic impact and efficacy of such controls, among others in the alcohol industry.

Addressing journalists on Monday, Uganda Breweries Limited Managing Director, Andrew Kilonzo said the bill was ambiguous.

“We are a very regulated industry already with all manner of regulations. We believe there are some solutions that can be taken to address the problems in alcohol consumption but not that law,” Kilonzo said.

He explained that having fallen short of addressing illicit and unregulated alcohol which accounts for more than 65% of all the alcohol on the market meant the bill was not doing any good.

“Only 35% of alcohol on the market is organized and regulated by UNBS and other regulators. It is a big concern for us that 65% of the entire alcohol sold on the market is not regulated.  This figure means in terms of quality there is no guarantee on safety and taints the entire industry,” Kilonzo said.

He noted that at least shs480million is lost directly in uncollected taxes because of this unregulated alcohol, noting that this is bad for the economy.

The UBL Managing Director insisted  that mechanisms are put in place to ensure 100% regulation of all alcohol in the market to ensure a level playground.

“The benefits are there to see in regulation for citizens to see. Providing something legitimate, regulated and fit for human consumption is key. There is need to address the issue of illicit, informal and unregulated alcohol.”