Alcohol Industry Calls for Review of 3 PM Bar Opening, Backs Crackdown on Illicit Brews

The Uganda Alcohol Industry Association (UAIA), representing licensed and tax-compliant alcohol producers and distributors, has formally requested the government to revisit the recently imposed 3:00 PM opening time for bars.

While the UAIA acknowledges and supports the underlying goals of the directive – protecting minors, enhancing productivity, and promoting accountability – its chairperson, Mr. Emmanuel Njuki, stated that a blanket restriction would disproportionately affect the formal sector.

“The formal industry is a major employer, a significant contributor to the Treasury, and a partner with a direct stake in a healthy, productive population,” Njuki explained in a statement. He reiterated the association’s commitment to preventing underage drinking, promising to bolster age-verification measures and support strict enforcement against any licensed outlet found supplying alcohol to minors.

However, the UAIA’s primary concern lies with the burgeoning illicit alcohol market, which they identify as the most significant threat to the industry and public health. Citing Euromonitor research, Njuki noted that approximately 67% of alcohol consumed in Uganda is illicit or unrecorded, operating entirely outside regulatory frameworks for licensing, taxation, and quality control.

“The formal industry is that trade’s principal victim, not its beneficiary,” Njuki emphasized. He pointed out that the 3:00 PM rule only impacts compliant businesses, potentially driving consumers to cheaper, unregulated, and often dangerous alternatives, thereby undermining tax revenue and legitimate employment.

The association is advocating for a strategic shift in enforcement, focusing on dismantling the illicit alcohol trade. They propose industry support for traceability measures, backing lawful local government ordinances, and investing in responsible consumption education and age-verification programs.

“We ask only that the measures be lawful, evidence-based and genuinely effective, and that the formal industry be engaged as the partner it wishes to be,” Njuki concluded, emphasizing a desire for collaboration to achieve a healthier and more productive Uganda. The UAIA stressed that trading hours are not established in national statute and should be governed by legally enacted local council regulations.

Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/alcohol-industry-seeks-review-of-3pm-opening-rule-backs-crackdown-on-illicit-brews-5557854