Soroti, Uganda
In response to public outcry over the underweight sugar from Kakira Sugar Works, the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) on Wednesday took decisive action.
The agency seized 700 bags of this substandard sugar from V.G Keshwala and Sons Limited, in Soroti, eastern Uganda. The operation was meant to uphold standards address consumers’ concerns and ensure the products meet the promised weight and quality.
During inspections, UNBS officials discovered that the packaging of the underweight sugar had been tampered with. The inner polythene layer of the bags had holes.
According to the officials, it appeared as though someone had compromised the integrity of the packaging.
It is still unclear whether the tampering happened at Kakira Sugar warehouses located in the industrial area, Kampala, or was carried out by the distributors themselves (V.G Keshwala and Sons Limited).
However, this discovery has intensified investigations into the matter raising serious questions about the extent of the deceit who might be responsible and the invisible magnitude of the loss to the traders and consumers.
The management of Kakira Sugar Works recently claimed its weighing scales had been calibrated for quality assurance. However, this troubling incident raises serious concerns about trust and transparency within the industry.
Since 1980, the Keshwala group has been a major player in Uganda’s market excelling as the leading distributor, importer and exporter of fast-moving consumer goods.
Among their most prominent products is Kakira sugar, supplied by the Madhvani Group of Companies. However, this longstanding relationship is now under scrutiny following the recent allegations and discoveries of under-weight sacks of sugar.
On June 13, 20234, Insight Post Uganda ran a story, following a video shared on social media by Newton Allan, who had weighed the Kakira Sugar bags.
According to Newton, customers were being cheated on an average of 2 kilograms per bag. He further explains that if the company sells 2,000 bags to the market every day, that’s a total of 4,000 kilograms being shortchanged, which translates to Ugx20 million at a rate of Ugx5,000 per kilogram.
Traders, Consumer’s plight
Traders invest substantial amounts of money to buy from these factories and sell to the end consumers, ensuring the supply chain remains as robust as possible.
However, recent developments suggest that the factories may not be as trustworthy as presumed by the public.
This discovery highlights a critical concern that all traders need to be vigilant about ensuring the accuracy of the weight of their goods before payment or placement of orders.
However, a routine check revealed that each sack, advertised as containing 50 kilograms of sugar, was underweight by three kilograms.
This invisible theft, amounting to a significant financial loss, could easily go unnoticed by less meticulous traders.
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