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GULU, UGANDA | THE INDEPENDENT | Phoebe Ayoo, the Gulu District Council Speaker has called for a review of the Gulu District Alcoholic Drinks Ordinance saying the law in its current form, has failed to regulate excessive consumption of alcohol.
The ordinance passed in 2016, restricts the sale and consumption of alcohol packaged in sachets.
The regulation stipulates that bars open their doors to the members of the public at 5pm to 1am, with alcohol packaged in breakable bottles of not less than 250 militres.
It also states that those intending to sell alcoholic drinks in the district ensure that their places are located more than half a kilometre from education institutions.
However, alcohol producers have resorted to packaging their products in plastic bottles to bypass the regulation of sachets.
While addressing a full council meeting held on Thursday, Ayoo noted that the ordinance has failed to address issues of increased domestic violence and low productivity among the population, as intended by the 10th council which came up with the law.
Ayoo says, “The people who produce alcohol have beaten us. They no longer bring them in sachets. They now bring them in other containers, so technically that renders our ordinance useless.”
The speaker explains that the ordinance should be reviewed as soon as possible to stop people from dying of over consumption of alcohol.
She said, “Alcohol is killing our people. When you move in the villages, people in their late teens look older than me. There have been incidences where people just drink and they are found dead. At least I have heard of more than two incidences when PDM money came, some people did not even reach home, they dunk themselves to the grave.”
Hellen Atto, the L.CI Chairperson of Unyama A in Unyama Sub County says there is an urgent need to review the current regulation to save lives.
“Excessive consumption of alcohol is too high in my area. Since the beginning of this year alone, three people have been rushed to hospital in critical condition because of drinking too much alcohol. They were lucky to survive,” says Atto.
Ojara Lutada, the L.C III Chairperson Bungatira Sub County says the sub county is in the process of passing its own bylaw to regulate alcohol consumption which has greatly affected productivity in households.
“The problem of alcoholism is very high in my area. Just two weeks ago, someone died after excessively consuming alcohol. We have developed a by law that looks at child wellbeing and socio-economic development. The law has aspects that address drunkenness that then leads to children being neglected by their parents,” says Lutada.
He explains that many people resort to drinking alcohol due to frustration caused by extreme poverty.
“We want to see families engaging in Agricultural activities such as animal rearing and crop production so that they can take care of their families,” says Lutada.
According to reports by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), Acholi sub-region has consistently registered some of the highest poverty rates in Uganda.
According to UBOS’s Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), poverty incidence in Acholi stands at 63.6%, significantly above the national average.
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