Regulate prices this festive season

By the end of last week, a kilogramme of sugar was being sold at between Shs4,000 and Shs5,000 up from Shs3,500 in recent months – and could even go higher.

Industry players have attributed the rise in sugar price to shortage of sugarcane, increased demand for sugar and the festive season, among others. The last time sugar cost this much was in 2011 when the country’s economy experienced turbulent weather after the general election.

Traders, thanks to the liberalised economy, have the ‘legroom’ to indulge their insatiable appetite for abnormal profits by stretching prices of consumer commodities every December; majorly due to the increased demand and willingness by consumers to spend during the season.

As the festive season comes around again, prices of consumer goods are expected to shoot through the roof. For instance, last year prices of poultry shot by almost 100 per cent. In Kampala, a chicken that usually traded for between Shs15,000 and Shs18,000 was going for Shs30,000 at Christmas. Likewise, transport fares to up-country destinations also doubled. For example, from Kampala to Kabale, the fares increased from Shs25,000 to Shs50,000. To Moroto commuters had to part with Shs60,000 up from Shs45,000 and to Tororo, the fares jumped from Shs13,000 to Shs30,000. To travel to Kanungu, one had to part with Shs50,000 up fromShs30,000.

It is understandable that the demand is high during this period and traders want to maximise profit, but as a God-fearing country that we claim to be, it is only fair that we charge what is due to us. The Bible (King James Version ) in Ezekiel 18:13 says “Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? He shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.”

Usury can be defined as the practice of making unethical or immoral monetary interest on loans or such services that unfairly enrich the lender or giver.

Government should not to look on as citizens struggle to liven up at this festive season.
In the face of liberalisation, the government can, for example, set up a unit within, say, the Uganda National Bureau of Standards to monitor trade in general and particularly prices of the basic consumer commodities such as salt, sugar, cooking oil, beef, poultry among others, to ensure that traders do not exorbitantly increase prices as and when they wish.