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According to former Bwamba County Member of Parliament, Hon. Richard Gafabusa, the bureau has relegated its core mandate of enforcing quality standards for fair trade which has exposed the public to substandard products.
“The dysfunctional state of affairs at UNBS has resulted in the proliferation of poor quality and counterfeit goods, eroded investor confidence and frustrated industrialisation and the efficient enforcement of standards laws and regulations,” Gafabusa said.
Gafabusa who raised the same concerns while he served in the 11th Parliament made his submission while appearing before the Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives chaired by Hon. Boniface Okot on Wednesday, 22 July 2026.
Gafabusa said that overlapping roles at UNBS between its National Standards Council and its management have created conflict, delays in decision-making and weakened accountability.
He also cited lengthy certification timeliness which have delayed market access by manufacturers and affected their business competitiveness.
“It is not a guarantee that if a manufacturer follows up their application after eight months or one year, that one inspection will lead to certification. The process can take over three years and this had made many SMEs give up or put their goods on the market without certification,” he said.
He called for strengthening of the Pre-Export Verification of Conformity to Standards (PVoC) programme through electronic certification, artificial intelligence and enhanced collaboration with Uganda Revenue Authority and border agencies.
“Because of inadequate personnel at UNBS, they decided to outsource this verification and signed contracts with companies to do it on their behalf. In countries like India, Japan and China,some of these are briefcase companies and do not exist,” Gafabusa added.
He also emphasised the need to strengthen regional laboratories and decentralise testing, certification and inspection services.
The Chairperson of Uganda Small Scale Industries Association, Peter Kasirye said that many small-scale manufacturers have paid identical certification fees for similar products in a single production line which has impacted negatively on investment.
“We have compliant manufacturers watching uncertified competitors undercut them on the same shelf because the cost of doing things the right way is not yet matched by consistent enforcement against those who are not properly certified,” Kasirye said.
Kasirye said transparency in fees and access to standards documents in local languages will go a long way in improving public confidence in the bureau.
“We further ask that government considers harmonising our standards with our regional neighbours, so that our manufacturers are not disadvantaged in the very markets we hope to conquer together as the East African Community,” he added.
Hon. Okot asked the representatives of the manufacturers to suggest affordable rates for the certification and standardisation process to be considered by UNBS.
“You indicated that these services are still costly. What proposals do you have for an amount, that when charged to SMEs, they will be able to thrive? We shall present these proposals when we interact with UNBS,” Okot said.
Pader District Woman MP, Hon. CD Lowila emphasised the need to address the staffing gaps at the bureau which she said can improve the turnaround time on processing certification applications for manufacturers.
Hon. Wilber Manyisa (NRM, Nakaseke North) called for equity by the bureau in processing requests from local manufacturers and foreign investors alike.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.
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