Uganda has previously been ranked as the World’s top Alcohol consuming nation, considering the average per capita consumption intake across the population.
The continued abuse of alcohol continues to affect the country’s human resources output and experts are warning that the increased alcohol intake is ravaging the productive bases leading to other issues like mental breakdown.
With unregulated alcohol production including sachets, Uganda’s drinkers have access to all kinds of alcohol anywhere. This, experts say is the reason most people have turned to drinking.
“Our kids can buy kaveera waragi at the nearest stall. Government needs to regulate and control access to alcohol to stop minors from early drinking. We are disturbed that people can buy, and drink alcohol any time of the day and night” said Andrew Arinaitwe, a concerned parent.
Alcohol Control Bill Should be Tabled- Speaker of Parliament
Speaker Rebecca Kadaga has criticised government for delaying to legislate against alcohol abuse, saying Parliament will now ask MP Betty Nambooze (DP, Mukono Municipality) to reintroduce her hitherto shelved Alcoholic Drinks Control Bill, 2016.
While attending a breakfast meeting at Kampala Serena Hotel meant to address the increasing incidents of alcohol abuse among under age school goers on Thursday, 22nd February 2018, Kadaga said the issue of alcohol abuse would be long resolved, but that Parliament only makes recommendations for government’s action.
“I am going to encourage Hon. Nambooze to come back with the Bill. We are going to debate this matter and make our decision. If Parliament had the exclusive power to ban sachet alcohol, we would have done it, but we make recommendations,” said Kadaga.
MP Nambooze back in Business
Nambooze’s Private Member’s Bill was shelved after government claimed it was fine-tuning new legislation that would address her concerns.
However, it has been a while and the proposed legislation is yet to be introduced by the Executive.
In the recent past, an emotive debate on alcohol rocked Parliament with Trade Minister Amelia Kyambadde insisting the ban will be undertaken in phases due to economic implications of the decision.bGrace Butembi, a Clinical Psychologist at Butabika Hospital said 31 percent of underage children in Uganda are abusing alcohol “because of poverty in homes.”
Booze versus mental illness
He said the youngsters have devised ingenious ways to smuggle the substance using unorthodox means.
“They soak bread in alcohol, mix in fruit juices and put it in [sanitary] pads and get drunk by sublimation,” he said.
Sublimation is when anything solid turns into a gas without first becoming liquid. The issue of home brewing of alcoholic substances emerged in the meeting, with Kadaga saying whereas most homesteads participate in the activity, no one is regulating them.
Regulate Alcohol Sale Points
Kadaga blamed local shops and supermarkets for selling alcohol to minors without verifying their age, saying somebody must take responsibility and close those shops.
“Who is going to lock up the shops of those selling alcohol to minors? Somebody must do it. There must be people to implement the set of regulations,” she said.
Organized by the Straight Talk Foundation, the meeting also saw different pupils being awarded for their essays on the best practices to alleviate underage alcohol consumption.
This is the fourth year of the annual campaign to address underage alcohol abuse.
