Uganda's beer companies have opposed the enactments of the Alcoholic Drinks Control Bill 2023. 

The Bill carries a restriction on the time within which alcohol is to be sold and heavy fines for offenders that will disrupt the law in case the Bill is passed and signed into law. 

Earlier, Secretary to the Treasury Ramathan Ggoobi cleared Tororo Woman MP Sarah Opendi to proceed with the enactments of the Alcoholic Drinks Control Bill 2023, after he issued a certificate of financial implication, indicating that her Bill won’t impose a charge on the Consolidated Fund.

Nile Breweries Ltd (NBL), Uganda's leading alcohol manufacturer has rejected the proposal to limit the time within which alcohol is sold in Uganda, and instead proposed to have bars start selling alcohol from midday and have no closure time.

The proposal was made by NBL head of legal and corporate affairs Emmanuel Njuki on Wednesday, December 20, 2023, while appearing before Parliament’s health committee, which is currently scrutinising the Bill.

"Legal alcohol should remain available in Uganda from midday in bars and no closing hours while distributors and supermarkets should be open at 8:00 am to allow for dispatch of stock upcountry," Njuki said.

Supermarkets not affected

While submitting the Bill to parliament,  Opendi clarified that the law affects only bars and has no impact on supermarkets that will be allowed to sell from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm, so if one wants to drink, they can go and buy from the supermarket, go and drink from home. 

Asked why people fear drinking from home, Njuki said: "Limited time may not necessarily translate into people drinking less and thus might be redundant. If at all, this could have the unintended consequence of increased home consumption," which according to him may increase domestic violence in homes.

Njuki wondered whether the movers of the Bill wanted nightclubs to open and sell soda to its customers.

“The clause anticipates night clubs will be open to sell soft drinks and music while restricting the sale of liquor after 10 pm," Njuki added "The night economy drives the Ugandan economy therefore, a law that impacts the night economy negatively impacts the economy of the country."

Time to work

Opendi, while addressing fellow MPs, mentioned that Uganda was ranked among those with the highest alcohol consumption which depicts a negative image of the country and she believes the law will change the statistics.

"I think as a country, we shouldn’t be happy when Uganda takes a gold medal in alcohol consumption. I know the breweries and those others want to sell alcohol, but let us sell this alcohol within time, people need time to go and sleep so that they can have energy the next day, and not be wasted. People must be able to work, be productive so that they can be able to take care of themselves and their families and we shall have peace and prosperity in this country," Opendi noted.

Opendi also attacked fellow MPs who use alcohol as a campaign commodity, saying their actions are drowning their voters in poverty and it was about time they had an honest conversation about the impact of alcohol abuse is having on the lives of Ugandans.

Opendi defended her proposal to impose a time limit within which alcohol should be sold in bars, saying the move is intended to reduce noise pollution because some bars are located in residential areas and whoever wants to drink beyond the legal time, should drink in their homes.

Look into the matter carefully

Njuki implored Parliament to look into the matter carefully and be keen on how this decision would negatively impact the economy of the country if approved, not forgetting business owners who are solely benefitting from the sale of alcohol.

Relatedly Ministry of Health has also proposed to have the minimum age, people are allowed to drink alcohol in Uganda raised from 18 to 21 years, arguing that at 18 years, one’s brain is still developing and thus, shouldn’t be allowed to make a life-altering decision such as taking alcohol.

"They (movers of The Alcoholic Drinks Control Bill)  have put the age of 18 at which people are supposed to start drinking at 18 years, we are saying this age isn’t okay, it should be 21 years and there is already science around this age and research was done by many scientists and they found that if someone hasn’t taken alcohol or any abusive substance by the age of 21, there are so little chances of this person starting to take this substance," Hafsa Lukwata, Assistant Commissioner, Health Services at Ministry of Health, said.

Lukwata made the remarks during a media training of journalists at Parliament on Monday, where she said Uganda has already set the precedent under the Tobacco Control Act where the legal age when someone is allowed to smoke cigarettes is 21 years and there is a lot of science, backing the fact that at 21 years, one is still young because their brains are continuing to develop.

"Do you know why sports betting is at 25 years? These things change the functioning of the brain. But I am asking people out there, look at your children, look at what they are capable of doing, look at the kind of decisions they make. Such a person can’t be left to take a decision about their life," added Lukwato.

Lukwato reasoned that "A child of 21 is a little more developed mentally, they are more organised and they are usually at the campus, but an 18-year-old these days, is in S.4, you can’t let an S4 child decide their life, something that is going to affect their future."