Mbarara District has imposed strict new regulations on bar operating hours in a sweeping crackdown on rising crime and social breakdown.
Bars will now open from 2:00 PM and close by 10:00 PM, a shift authorities say is necessary to restore discipline and public safety.
“I want us to agree. All bars should start operating at 2 PM, not 12 PM, and they should close at 10 PM,” declared District Internal Security Officer David Kamanda during a tense security meeting in Kashare Sub-county.
The decision comes after a wave of violent incidents, including an attack by armed robbers at the start of the week. The attackers, reportedly carrying guns, beat residents and made away with money and personal gadgets.
Fred Mwesigye, LC3 Chairperson of Kashare Sub-county, also pointed to an alarming increase in livestock theft and coffee.
“We are fighting crime and criminals like thieves that have made our sub-county restless, stealing livestock and coffee.
They go to people’s homes, slaughter their animals, and take meat.” He urged citizens to be proactive, “Security is not the police alone; it starts with me and you.”
Security leaders have drawn a direct line between early-day drinking and a rise in crime, domestic neglect, and moral decay. Most youth and some married people have always spent too much time in bars.
Mbarara DPC Benon Byamukama noted “We have a problem. We have neglected our families and we don’t give them time.” He added that many drinkers waste entire days in bars, and that youth who engage in all-day drinking often become “arrogant and criminal.”
The move is part of a broader campaign to reduce lawlessness and promote a culture of responsibility in communities long plagued by theft, violence, and family disintegration.
To bolster security further, Kashari North MP Bazil has rolled out vital infrastructure in crime-prone areas, including Nyabisirira Town Council.
“As we strengthen security, I have decided to put street lights in this town and extend water to people to reduce crime because we have had more defilements of women and young girls at water sources,” he explained.