UNBS seeks increased financing

Kampala. Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is seeking a Shs28b budget increment to improve work and supervision efficiency.

While meeting the Parliamentary Committee on Tourism, Trade and Industry in Bweyogerere, Kampala, Mr Ben Manyindo, the UNBS executive director, said the increment will allow them fund improvements in service delivery.

“The number one challenge is [staffing]. The staff number as of December 31 is 306. I am supposed to deploy them to ensure measurement systems are accurate, to ensure standards of over 1,000 products, both imported and local produced meet requirements.

I must be in the districts, and at the borders. With the single customs territory and East African Community I must be in Mombasa where I have two people and Dar-Es-Salaam where I do not have anyone,” Mr Manyindo said, explaining that MPs could consider an annual increment of Shs6b for the standards agency to boost its staff numbers.

In a report released last year, UNBS said 54 per cent of the goods in the Ugandan market are substandard, with locally manufactured goods in the lead. This, UNBS said, was partly a result of low staffing and a starved agency that was lacking in equipment and logistics.

Last year, UNBS introduced mandatory certification of products covered by compulsory standards to safeguard public health. However, this continues to be a challenge because of the lack of supervisory capacity to see that all companies comply.
Mr Robert Sebunya, chairperson of the Tourism, Trade and Industry, said it was unbelievable that the agency had been starved of funds to facilitate its operations.

“They are very thin on ground yet goods must be checked before people pay taxes for them so we also see a problem in the system and with legislation, that should change,” he said.
Currently, UNBS has an annual budget of Shs47b, with Shs21b provided by government.

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