Rwandans held in Uganda over 'counterfeit' products

Vision Reporter

KAMPALA – Three Rwandan nationals were arrested in a Ugandan suburb over suspected counterfeit products, but later release on bond Friday.

Earlier, Dofin Kalemeera, Vegas Kabandera and Fredrick Nzamulambaho were apprehended for selling chili oil allegedly using the trademark of Akabanga Chili Oil which is imported from Rwanda.

The makers of Akabanga Chili Oil said the three suspects have been selling the chili oil in Uganda allegedly under their name for the last six months.

They were netted in Kasubi during an operation by local police and detained at Kibuli Police Station.

On Friday, New Vision learnt that the suspects were released on bond as investigations continue.

“We reported the matter to Ugandan Police. But before engaging the Police, one of our staff went to Kasubi, to negotiate a deal with them to supply their products in Jinja,” Deo Kalamaji, the sales marketer of Akabanga Chili Oil explained earlier.

The manufacturers of Akabanga Chili Oil insisted that the trio adulterated the chili oil with unclear substances before putting it on sale.

As a result of this, samples of the said counterfeit products will be taken to the government laboratory for analysis, according to James Kyomukama, the head of the anti-narcotics department of Police.

Meanwhile, the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) recently launched a campaign to close businesses which are selling substandard goods to the public.

Offenders are prosecuted and fined.

According to UNBS, the penalties vary between sh10m to sh200m. An individual can also be sentenced to between two to 10 years in jail.