The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
The MPs claim that sachet waragi such as Royal gin, Empire gin, Afande gin, Gorilla gins are still in circulation.
The legislators have asked government to act against the firms still involved in the massive sachet waragi production ahead of the ban, which takes effect on May 31st, 2019.
The Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Minister, Amelia Kyambadde set May 31st, 2019 as the new deadline for stopping the production and distribution of sachet waragi.
The existing stock of sachet waragi is expected to be utilized by the expiry of the deadline.
The commercial manufacture and consumption of waragi packed in sachets was delegitimized in 2017 on the basis of health and environmental concerns.
The same order invoked price control mechanisms to prohibit access to smaller quantities of alcohol to the population.
Government tasked alcohol producers to install bottling machinery for packing gins beyond 200-millilitre quantities.
However, on Monday morning, MPs claimed that their investigation show that 11 out of the 26 companies involving in alcohol production are still producing sachet alcohol.
They are worried that by June 01, 2019 sachet waragi will still be in circulation.
The Mawokota South MP, John Bosco Lubyayi, says sachet waragi is not only hazardous to the health of consumers, but also disastrous to the environment.
He says the ban could go a long way to protect the environment against polythene bags. Lubyayi says by now Government should know the amount of alcohol in the country.
Mwine Mpaka, the Western Youth Member of Parliament, says by this time, sachet waragi should be minimal in circulation, but the rate at which it is circulating is worrying.
He urged Government to ensure a total end to sachet waragi this time round.
Andrew Kiiza Kaluya, the Kigulu South MP, blamed the low implementation of the sachet waragi ban on the laxity of the Trade Ministry and Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), saying they could be more interested in the benefits of sachet waragi.
He says by now the Minister should have shown some action but they continue to see some companies still producing sachet waragi.
John Baptist Nambeshe, the Manjia County MP, says several teenagers are wasting their lives with alcohol.
He says they are disappointed by the time that Government has given to the companies.
A Scientific study Commissioned and conducted in a US laboratory by Dr. Olara Otunnu, the former undersecretary general of the United Nations and two leading members of the academia in US State of California found out that there was high concentration of hazardous metals in a number of the alcohol spirits produced in Uganda.
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