The Ugandan Parliament has rejected the Alcoholic Drinks Control Bill 2023, highlighting the existence of various laws to tackle the issue at hand.
According to Attorney General Kiwanuka Kiryowa, this bill violates Article 93(a)(2) of the Uganda Constitution, which states that a charge is imposed or there is a change to the consolidated fund, which means proceeding with such bills is against the constitution.
“There is nothing in this bill that isn’t regulated by an existing law except the type, which can be managed through licensing. We also have licensing laws in place,” Kiryowa said.
On the other hand, the chairperson of the Joint Committee of Trade and Health, Sylvia Nayebare, observed that this bill has not clearly brought out what problem it is meant to address, and perhaps there could have been different strategies of achieving its goal, like putting limitations on alcohol sale points across the country to deal with issues associated with alcoholism and illicit trade in alcoholic drinks.
The bill, which sought to prohibit the sale of alcohol in certain areas and impose restrictions on alcohol advertising, was tabled by Sarah Opendi, the NRM, Tororo District.
A report from the World Health Organization (WHO) recently ranked Uganda as the leader in alcohol consumption on the African continent. According to another report released by the Global Health Body in 2023, on average, a Ugandan consumes 12.21 liters of pure alcohol annually.
Drinking alcohol is associated with the risk of developing noncommunicable diseases such as liver diseases, heart diseases, and different types of cancer, as well as mental health and behavioral conditions such as depression, anxiety, and alcohol use disorders.
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