UNBS impounds Shs3b worth of substandard goods in crackdown

The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) confiscated more than 880 tonnes of substandard goods worth about Shs3 billion during the 2025/26 financial year, highlighting the scale of unsafe and non-compliant products still finding their way onto the Ugandan market.

The seized products, which included foodstuffs, cosmetics, construction materials and other consumer goods, were intercepted during a nationwide market surveillance campaign targeting manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers.

According to UNBS, inspectors conducted 6,642 inspections across the country, covering shops, supermarkets, warehouses, food processing facilities, factories, distribution trucks, steel and engineering plants, and other business premises dealing in regulated products.

The inspections targeted both locally manufactured and imported goods, including expired products that had been placed on the market for sale.

UNBS Principal Public Relations Officer Sylvia Kirabo said the operation prevented thousands of consumers from being exposed to products that posed health and safety risks.

“The seizure of these dangerous substandard products saved the health and safety of thousands of consumers who would have been badly affected or injured if they consumed or used these products,” Ms Kirabo said.

She said market surveillance remains one of the bureau’s key enforcement tools for ensuring that products sold in Uganda comply with mandatory national quality, safety and performance standards.

The bureau regularly removes substandard goods from shops, supermarkets, warehouses and uncertified manufacturing facilities to protect consumers while ensuring fair competition for businesses that comply with the law.

Under the UNBS Act, Cap 210, and the UNBS (Market Surveillance and Enforcement of Compulsory Standard Specifications) Regulations, 2021, it is illegal to import, manufacture, distribute, sell or possess for sale products that fail to meet compulsory Uganda standards.

The Central Region recorded the highest number of inspections during the year, followed by the Western, Eastern and Northern regions, reflecting the concentration of manufacturing and commercial activity around Kampala and surrounding districts.

Businesses found stocking or producing non-compliant goods—including wholesalers, supermarkets, hardware stores, cosmetics dealers, maize mills, bakeries, beverage manufacturers, paint factories and steel producers—were sensitised on regulatory requirements, while some were ordered to suspend operations until they addressed identified deficiencies.

The bureau also reported improved compliance among manufacturers.

Of the 2,622 manufacturing facilities inspected during the year, 1,996 met the required standards, translating into a compliance rate of 76 percent.

Ms Kirabo said the figures point to growing awareness among manufacturers about the importance of quality certification, although a significant number of producers are yet to comply fully with national standards.

She urged manufacturers whose products have not yet been certified to seek UNBS certification before placing them on the market.

UNBS also encouraged consumers to buy products bearing the UNBS Q-Mark, saying the mark provides assurance that a product has met the country’s mandatory quality standards.

The bureau appealed to members of the public to report suspected substandard goods through its toll-free lines to support efforts to eliminate unsafe products from the market.