The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD) has received two new mobile laboratory units from SICPA Uganda, bringing its total number of mobile fuel labs to ten. These mobile labs form part of ongoing efforts to strengthen fuel quality monitoring and enforcement across the country.
“We are proud to work with the Ministry of Energy to strengthen fuel quality monitoring across Uganda,” said Ms. Suzan Mweheire Kitariko, General Manager of SICPA Uganda.
The Fuel Marking and Quality Monitoring Programme is designed to control and monitor the quality of petroleum products throughout Uganda’s supply chain. The programme has become a cornerstone of the country’s petroleum sector, delivering significant economic benefits through improved revenue collection, transparency, and market stability.
Implemented by SICPA Uganda under the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development and the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), the programme combats tax evasion, smuggling, and fuel adulteration, ensuring that all fuel sold in Uganda meets national quality standards.
Welcoming the new mobile laboratories as part of the Ministry’s ongoing quality assurance efforts were Mr. Steven Barisigara, Project Coordinator of the Fuel Quality Monitoring Programme (FQMP), and Mr. Peter Kitimbo, UNBS FQMP Field Supervisor.
“The fuel marking programme helps us monitor fuel quality across the entire supply chain, ensuring consumers receive products that meet standards and preventing adulteration,” said Mr. Peter Kitimbo, adding that the system has strengthened the government’s fiscal position by reducing opportunities for tax fraud.
Mr. Steven Barisigara emphasised, “With these additional mobile labs, the Ministry’s capacity to expand coverage across the country will improve. This enhancement strengthens our ability to monitor fuel quality nationwide.”
A mobile fuel laboratory provides a fast and accurate solution for field-based fuel quality checks. Equipped with portable, fully automated analyzers, it enables a single Ministry technician to perform detailed fuel analyses efficiently and in real time. These mobile testing laboratories are used to conduct spot sampling and fuel quality tests at retail stations, as well as trucks in transit to ensure consistency and compliance throughout the supply chain.
The latest handover of mobile labs reflects SICPA Uganda’s continued partnership with the government to protect fuel quality, increase revenue collection, and promote fairness and transparency in Uganda’s energy sector.
