MAAIF officials confiscate travelers' food at Entebbe Airport

There was drama at Entebbe International airport on Wednesday as Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) officials confiscated unprocessed food from intending travelers.

According to a source who preferred anonymity, MAAIF officials abruptly set up a checkpoint at the departures screening area where they confiscated unprocessed foods including bananas and sweet potatoes among others.

“MAAIF officials confiscated a lot of food at the screening point, prompting security operatives to ask them whether they had obtained permission to carry out the impromptu operation,” the source said.

The MAAIF actions might have been triggered by a recent incident in which Paul Mubiru was filmed ‘hawking’ nsenene (grasshoppers) on a Uganda Airlines planes, according to the source.

The Principal Public Affairs Officer Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) Mr Kenneth Otim confirmed the incident saying “the MAAIF officials were supposed to first notify the airport authorities and also sensitize passengers of the requirements for one to move with unprocessed food out of the airport.”

“Our concern with them is that they had to sensitize the public on requirements like getting certification- instead of abrupt operations. They had put the check at the departures. Food items piled up and they didn’t have means of disposal,” he told Daily Monitor at the weekend.  

However, Mr Otim said although the MAAIF officials actions were lawful.

“Most people have been going with unprocessed food when it’s not certified, usually when they reach their destination countries especially Europe, airport authorities confiscate the food and sometimes ask for certification from the country they are travelling from. At times they tell people to taste the food to make sure it’s safe,” he narrated.

MAAIF Permanent secretary Maj Gen David Kasura-Kyomukama the operation aimed at aligning Uganda with international WTO SPS border control requirements.

“It is therefore imperative that we maintain the strictest observance of the International Trade Standards” he said.

He added: "Since these fruits and vegetables are exported cheaply and do not adhere to the packaging standards, it compromises the country’s export earnings and does not create incentive for the law abiding companies."

Mr Kyomukama on Sunday encouraged the public to declare all agricultural related products, 48 hours before the day of travel into or outside Uganda.