Uganda’s Bold Move: Crackdown On After-Hours Alcohol Sales Sparks Controversy With Proposed 10-Year Jail Term or 20 Million Fines

Tororo district Woman MP, Sarah Opendi, has submitted a groundbreaking proposal to the House Committee on Health, advocating for stringent measures against the sale of alcoholic drinks outside specified hours. Under the proposed Alcoholic Drinks Control Bill 2023, individuals found selling alcohol before 5 pm and beyond 10 pm on working days could face a ten-year jail term or a substantial fine of sh20 million.

Opendi, who presented the Private Members Bill to Parliament on Tuesday, November 14, 2023, aims to comprehensively regulate the manufacturing, sale, and consumption of alcoholic beverages in Uganda. The proposed sanctions underscore the government’s commitment to address escalating health concerns associated with alcohol consumption.

The move comes in response to a surge in non-communicable diseases, including hypertension, cancer, diabetes, mental illness, and chronic heart diseases, linked to alcohol use in Uganda. The evidence supporting the health risks associated with alcohol is unequivocal, with potential damage to nearly every organ in the body and alterations in brain structures.

Data from a WHO-commissioned nationwide survey revealed alarming statistics, indicating that 25.9% of men and 14.3% of women in Uganda were heavy alcohol users. Furthermore, alcohol-related admissions at Butabika National Referral Hospital accounted for about 20% of total admissions, with alcohol contributing over 40% of these cases.

Recognizing the need for a collaborative approach, the government emphasizes the involvement of various sectors, including Health, Gender, Labor and Social Development, Justice, Law and Order, Local Governments, Education, Trade and Industry, Finance, and Civil Society Organizations, to effectively implement this policy.

The proposed regulations align with global initiatives, including the World Health Assembly’s resolution to adopt the Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol. Uganda has also embraced recommendations from the high-level meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases in 2014, recognizing alcohol as a major risk factor and urging countries to reduce alcohol use to address NCDs.

The Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 3 – Good Health and Well-Being, emphasize the importance of strengthening the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including the harmful use of alcohol. Uganda’s formulated policy aims to guide actions by all relevant stakeholders to reduce the harmful use of alcohol and contribute to broader health and socio-economic goals.