65% of alcohol illicit, unsafe

KAMPALA - A damning new report has revealed the alarming scale of Uganda’s alcohol crisis, showing that nearly two-thirds of all alcohol consumed in the country is unsafe, unregulated, and often laced with toxic substances. 

The report, titled Public Health Implications of the Harmful Consumption of Illicit Alcohol in Uganda, was jointly released by the Coalition Against Illicit Alcohol Uganda (CAIA-UG) and the Arrow Empirical Research Institute. 

Based on extensive fieldwork and laboratory analysis conducted in Kampala city and Arua district, the findings paint a disturbing picture: 65% of alcohol consumed in Uganda is illicit, posing serious health risks and exacerbating social issues, especially among youth and low-income communities. 

“This is not just a public health emergency — it is a crisis of dignity, a tragedy of wasted potential and a national wake-up call,” warned Dr Kennedy Niwagaba, the director of research at Arrow Empirical Research and Skills Enhancement.

The toxic reality  

Niwagaba described illicit alcohol as ubiquitous — found in homes, at funerals, on street corners and at celebrations. 

Typically unbranded and made outside the legal framework, it lacks any oversight to ensure quality or safety. 

According to the report, 83% of those surveyed had consumed illicit alcohol in the previous week. 

Lab tests revealed dangerously high alcohol by volume (ABV) levels in many samples, with some exceeding 44.2%. 

Alarmingly, some contained methanol levels as high as 640.59 mg/L— well above the World Health Organisation’s safe limit of 50 mg/L.

“High ABV leads to liver cirrhosis and various cancers,” Niwagaba said. “Methanol in these quantities causes blindness, organ failure and even death.” 

He added that such exposure is driving up hospital admissions, worsening mental health and contributing to family conflicts and addiction — particularly among men over the age of 25.

From left: Tumwesigye, Niwagaba, Kamara and Sidibe during the launch of the report. (Credit: Hope Mafaranga)

A nation drinking itself sick  

The report found that 13% of respondents exhibited signs of alcohol dependence and 40% admitted to drinking daily. 

Alarmingly, 58% of men and 42% of women surveyed were daily consumers of illicit alcohol. 

Brewing sites were found to operate under unhygienic and hazardous conditions. 

“In both Kampala and Arua, alcohol was being brewed with unsafe water and unclean tools in unsanitary environments,” Niwagaba noted. “This exposes consumers to food-borne illnesses like diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea.”

Social and economic scourge 

Prof. Myriam Sidibe, the co-chair of CAIA-UG, said illicit alcohol has silently devastated families and communities, undermining both public health and national development. 

“Uganda is losing generations to unregulated alcohol brewed under unsafe conditions. This is not just a public health crisis — it is a human rights issue,” Sidibe said. 

Illicit alcohol is widely accessible, sold in plastic bottles for as little as sh1,000, making it dangerously affordable. Consumers reportedly drink up to 3.4 litres per session, often using alcohol as a coping mechanism for poverty, stress and unemployment. 

For too long, illicit alcohol has operated in the shadows — ruining lives, stealing futures and weakening the very fabric of our society,” Sidibe said.

“It is driving up preventable deaths, hospitalisations, gender-based violence, economic hardship and addiction,” she added.

Calls for enforcement  

Juliet Namukasa, the chairperson of the Uganda Alcohol Policy Alliance (UAPA), called for immediate government action, including stricter laws, improved enforcement and public education. 

“Although the legal drinking age is 18, enforcement is weak. We propose raising it to 21 to protect our youth,” Namukasa said. 

She advocated for involving local leaders in clamping down on illegal brewing operations and launching nationwide campaigns to raise awareness about the dangers of illicit alcohol, especially in low-income areas. 

Dr Alfred Jatho, the head of community cancer services at the Uganda Cancer Institute, urged the Government to reform tax policies and allocate 5% of alcohol excise revenues to prevention and rehabilitation. 

“We must implement the National Alcohol Control Policy and back it with robust legislation. Kenya’s approach provides a useful model, but proper enforcement and adequate funding are essential,” he said.

A national effort is needed 

Dr Christine Charity Mwebesa, the special presidential assistant on economic affairs, called for a multi-sectoral approach to tackle the crisis. 

“Stakeholders must collaborate with the Government to launch a national initiative involving strong enforcement, public education, economic alternatives and youth protection,” she said. 

Dr Nicholas Kamara, the chairperson of the Parliamentary Forum on Non-Communicable Diseases, linked Uganda’s rising rates of heart disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer to chronic alcohol use.

“I treat patients with these conditions every day, and many have a history of alcoholism,” he said. 

“This crisis is fuelling an epidemic of non-communicable diseases and mental health issues,” Kamara said. 

However, Margaret Nassanga, the UAPA coordinator, pointed out that while the report rightly highlights the harms of illicit alcohol, it downplays the role of commercial alcohol — particularly due to aggressive marketing, affordability and youth targeting. 

She emphasised the need for gender-sensitive alcohol policies to better protect women from alcohol-related harm.