Uganda ban on Waragi sachets takes effect

Ugandan police have said the deadline for sale of Waragi sachets lapsed on Friday.

According to the New Vision newspaper, a stiff warning was sent out to companies to ensure that they comply with the directive.

“We have alerted URA to blacklist any company that is dealing in counterfeits products and this is going to be done through identifying there Tax Identification Numbers (TIN),” said Allan Mulindwa, Managing Partner Stop Counterfeits Products- Africa (SCP).

In 2017, the Ugandan government banned the sale and packaging of alcohol in sachets.

The alternative was announced as plastic and glass bottles but according to Mulindwa, companies are still selling sachets.

“We have many cases where we have moved around city suburbs such as Kawempe and realised that many of companies have not enforced what the government asked them to do so,” he said as quoted in the New Vision.

Following the delegitimisation of Waragi sachets, an order was also invoked to control prices to prohibit access to smaller quantities of alcohol.

The team fighting the ban is comprised of officials from Ministry of Health, the Police, National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Uganda National Bureau of Standards and Uganda Alcohol Manufactures Association.