Team form MEMD & UNBS Teaching the Public at Petrol station in Lyatonde
The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD) embarked on a week-long sensitization campaign in the greater Masaka region to educate the public about fuel quality and measurement accuracy. This initiative is part of the Fuel Marking and Quality Monitoring program, which aims to protect consumers from adulterated fuel and ensure fair trade practices in the industry.
The week-long sensitization campaign covering the greater Masaka region started in Buwama, Lukaya, Mateete, Ssembabule, Rushere, and Lyantonde and ended in Masaka with a joint workshop of stakeholders. The campaign consisted of workshops, radio talk programmes, and community participation events.
The commissioner of Petroleum Supply, Reverend Frank Tukwasibwe, said the campaign’s key objectives is to promote compliance among fuel facilities, raise awareness among consumers and stakeholders, and improve industry practices.
Reverend Frank Tukwasibwe- commissioner of Petroleum Supply Ministry of Energy
The Fuel Marking and Quality Monitoring program features mobile testing laboratories equipped with advanced technology to test fuel quality at various stations, fuel pump calibration to ensure accurate measurements, and public awareness campaigns to educate consumers on how to verify fuel quality and report any discrepancies.
According to the most recent reports, the adulteration levels have dropped to less than 1 per cent, compared to a high of 30 per cent in 2000 when the UNBS and the Minister launched the Fuel Quality Monitoring Program. The campaign is designed to cover the entire supply chain, from importation through the fuel terminals and during transportation up to the pump station tanks and the fuel pump.
UNBS Principal Analyst and Field Supervisor Peter Kitimbo says that although less than 1 percent is not as bad, the aim is to ensure a market totally free of adulterated fuel.
Kitimbo says that several fuel stations have been closed and the pumps sealed, but that those who break the seal without being allowed face more action, including being taken to court.
At the border points, UNBS, together with the ministry, also carry out the marking of the fuel products that are meant for the Ugandan market to avoid dumping and smuggling.
He called upon people with any suspicion about a fuel station to ask for the monthly UNBS report because an ordinary person might not tell the difference between good and adulterated fuel.
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