By Charles Wendo
and Florence Nakaayi

A condom shortage is expected nationwide because the Government’s Engabu brand has been frozen and the procedure for approving new imports has been lengthened.

Free condoms given out by the Ministry of Health and subsidised brands sold by social marketing companies are running out, The New Vision has learnt.

The Government is left with five million non-Engabu condoms, the condom coordinator, Vastha Kibirige, said. This is enough for two months yet the next consignment is expected in six months, Kibirige said.

“We are going to face six months of limited supply,” she said. “We fear that in the meantime some people might have unprotected sex,” she said.

Kibirige said the ministry would look for emergency
stocks in order to avert a crisis. “We don’t want anybody to die. If there is a way to prevent HIV infection and we do not make it available, then that would be criminal,” she said.

Population Services International (PSI), which supplies Protector condoms, is left with only one million, enough for about four weeks. Another 10 million Protector condoms are stuck in a warehouse in Kampala awaiting clearance from the National Drug Authority (NDA).

“NDA took samples for testing last month but we have not yet got the results, therefore we cannot supply them,” the PSI technical adviser, Sam Nganga, said.

Social marketers of Life Guard condoms, MSI, were not available for comment. However, since they supply less than a quarter of the condoms used in Uganda, it can be assumed that their stocks cannot avert a national shortage.

Kibirige said between 80 and 100 million condoms are used in Uganda annually, of which MSI and PSI together distribute about 30 million. Nganga said PSI distributes 12 million annually.

Previously, condoms were admitted into Uganda based on certificates of approval from the countries of origin.

However, in September a consignment of Engabu condoms was found to have holes and a bad smell despite passing the test before shipment. The Government decided to test every batch before and after shipment into Uganda.
Kibirige said, “The new policy affects all of them (social marketers) because all condoms coming in must undergo pre-shipment and post-shipment testing and this was not planned for in the budget.”

On Thursday, the Uganda AIDS Commission placed an advert inviting bids for the supply of condom-testing equipment.
The bids will be opened at the end of January and the equipment is expected in March.

In the meantime, NDA will ship samples to Europe for testing, a source said.