Jinja, Uganda: The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has trained commercial officers from the Busoga Sub-region to strengthen compliance with national standards among Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) operating in the area.
The training, held on Thursday, brought together district commercial officers, production officers, and public health inspectors, who were urged to play a more active role in ensuring that businesses within their jurisdictions comply with standards recommended by UNBS.
Officials from UNBS said the engagement was part of ongoing efforts to improve product quality, protect consumers, and address the rising number of enterprises producing or selling goods that fail to meet national standards.
Speaking during the training, UNBS Principal Public Relations Officer Sylvia Kirabo urged the officers to work closely with the public to ensure compliance before enforcement measures are taken.
Kirabo emphasized that community awareness is critical in supporting compliance initiatives, noting that many businesses unknowingly operate outside the required standards.
She explained that the statutory body conducts several verification exercises, including inspections of weighing scales and other measuring equipment used in trade. “We announce and make people aware of the exercise whenever we come to verify all weighing scales in an area because we don’t want Ugandans to be duped,” Kirabo said.
“Most times people go to shops and end up getting less weight than what they paid for. That is something we cannot accept because we are mandated by government to protect consumers,” she added.
Concern Over Substandard Products
Kirabo warned that a number of businesses have illegally set up operations and are manufacturing products that do not meet required standards, posing risks to public health and safety.
She particularly cautioned traders against the use of unstandardized traditional weighing equipment, which she said often results in consumers being cheated during transactions.
According to Kirabo, UNBS prioritizes sensitization and awareness before taking enforcement action against non-compliant businesses. “We are not mainly about enforcement, where people end up being arrested. Our first approach is always to sensitize people before enforcement,” she said.
She noted that the UNBS team had spent a week camping in the Busoga Sub-region, engaging traders and educating them on proper production, packaging, and handling practices. “We first met with traders for two days, cautioning them on their wrong practices, especially when making products and selling to the public,” Kirabo said.
“You find someone in a milling machine storing flour on bare ground without knowing the health risks involved. That is why we first educate them so that products reaching the market meet the required standards.”
Officials Call for Better Coordination
During the meeting, some local government officials raised concerns about limited coordination between UNBS operational teams and district authorities during enforcement exercises.
The officers warned that failure to involve local officials during operations could pose security risks and create misunderstandings on the ground.
Some participants also questioned the effectiveness of monitoring systems after alleging that certain products enter the market bearing fake UNBS quality marks even after inspection visits by officials.
Iganga District Commercial Officer Jotham Mweruka commended UNBS for its commitment to promoting standards and compliance but urged the agency to involve district authorities in all field activities.
“Thank you for reminding us of our roles and I ask my colleagues to wake up and carry out our tasks as we look forward to having other engagements with UNBS,” Mweruka said. “It is important that we know when operations are ongoing in our areas so that we can cooperate properly,” he added.
Mweruka also called for the withdrawal of substandard weighing scales from the market, saying they contribute significantly to consumer exploitation.
In 2024, UNBS identified the Busoga Sub-region as one of the areas with the highest incidences of malpractice in the petroleum sector.
This followed a week-long campaign targeting fuel dealers, boda boda riders, and local government leaders, during which officials discovered illegal sale of uncertified fuel and other non-compliant practices.
The training of district officials is therefore part of broader efforts by UNBS to strengthen compliance and improve oversight of businesses across the region.
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