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The state minister for industries, David Bahati has said that substandard products, whether locally manufactured or imported must not be given space on the Ugandan market.  

He said that products that have not been certified and do not meet the minimum required standards were a danger to the health of Ugandans and killed the local businesses.  

“We should not have any substandard products anywhere on the market in Uganda because they do not only undermine the growth of other companies that follow and meet the required minimum standards but also affect our health as Ugandans,” he said.  

Abdulati Mohamed Algalita, the CEO of Birtania Allied Industries Limited briefing state minister for industries, David Bahati about how they produce different products at their factory in Ntinda Industrial Area

According to the minister, the government is working to put in place strict conditions that will ensure standard bodies are facilitated to eliminate substandard products to protect the local industries from unfair competition and protect the consumers.  

Among these, he explained, the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) would be given more funds and tasked to increase its capacity to monitor and check on the influx of substandard products on the market, a move that will help protect the local industries that endeavor to meet standards.

Abdulati Mohamed Algalita, the CEO of of Birtania Allied Industries Limited in Ntinda Industrial Area showing state minister for industries, David Bahati some of their products after a tour of the factory

 

“In our strategy, we want to make sure we enforce and support UNBS through increased funding to make sure they can follow up these products because they are a danger to our community and our local industry,” he explained.  

 Bahati was Tuesday responding to a request from Abdulati Mohamed Algalita, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Britania Allied Industries Limited, located in Ntinda Industrial area, and manufacturers of processed juice, water, biscuits, and other products.

Abdulati Mohamed Algalita,right, the CEO of Birtania Allied Industries Limited briefing state minister for industries, David Bahati about how they produce different products at their factory in Ntinda Industrial Area, November 21, 2023. Middle is Ali yousef, the Chief Operations Officer

 

Algalita asked the minister to give more support and funding to UNBS to enable the organization to expand its reach across the country to crack down on fake products.  

He told the minister who toured the factory that many local manufacturers were spending lots of money in meeting standards but they were facing unfair competition on the market majorly characterized by an influx of poor-quality products, some from neighboring countries. He said that recently there was an influx in the local market of products from Kenya that do not meet the regulatory requirements on product quality and labelling.  

Abdulati Mohamed Algalita, the CEO of Birtania Allied Industries Limited briefing state minister for industries, David Bahati about how they produce different products at their factory in Ntinda Industrial Area

He however said when the matter was reported to UNBS, the management said they were underfunded and that they did not have the required funding to deploy their personnel in the field to check on these products.  

Algalita also told the minister that UNBS delays in certifying products, which he said affects the export of their products across the East African region. “For example, we submitted a list of products in July for certification but up to November the process has not been completed and we therefore cannot export, which affects our growth,” he explained.

Abdulati Mohamed Algalita,left, the CEO of Birtania Allied Industries Limited briefing state minister for industries, David Bahati about how they produce different products at their factory in Ntinda Industrial Area, November 21, 2023.Right is Ali yousef, the Chief Operations Officer

 

When contacted, Kirabo Sylvia, the head of marketing and public relations admitted that the bureau was currently understaffed and underfunded and was therefore constrained in terms of manpower and resources. “We are doing our best within our means, but we recently experienced budget cuts which affected our operations, UNBS has little money to do operations in the field,” she explained.

Commenting on the complaints about delays in certifying products, Kirabo said they also come because the bureau was unable to deploy enough auditors to carry out product checks in the field.  

“We currently cannot deploy many auditors simultaneously to do product certification,” she said, adding that sometimes clients delay in either complying with non-conformity or making changes to convince the auditors of the required changes.

Abdulati Mohamed Algalita,left, the CEO of Birtania Allied Industries Limited briefing state minister for industries, David Bahati about how they produce different products at their factory in Ntinda Industrial Area

The minister however appealed to consumers to always check processed products for the Q-Mark before buying to ensure that they they meet the required standards.

“The responsibility of taking the right quality product begins with you the consumer, so we appeal to everyone to make sure you help the government as we enforce these laws, to ensure that the products which are not supposed to be consumed are not bought,” he said.

He congratulated the company for getting the ISO standard, which he said was a big achievement for local manufacturers that meet international standards and can send quality products to the market across the region and beyond.