UNBS has responded to media reports that their cars were damaged by fake fuel. Read the full statement below.
Our attention has been drawn to an article published in the Observer Newspaper dated 13th July 2016 under the title, “UNBS Cars Damaged by Fake Fuel”.
The story has generated commentary from the public published in the same Newspaper under the following titles, “Bureau of standards must do more to protect Ugandans against fake products”. “If UNBS can buy dirty fuel, who is safe then?”.
This follows a so called leaked memo which UNBS does not subscribe too and the information published is not backed by scientific data.
First and foremost, the information that UNBS has shows 99% compliance levels in the fuel industry and the stations that do not comply with fuel standards are published regularly in the print media as a means of informing the public and the motorists on nonconforming companies.
As per our mandate, government introduced Fuel Marking and Quality Monitoring Programme (FMP) designed to control and monitors the quality of petroleum products in the entire supply chain in Uganda. The programme is implemented under a cooperative arrangement between Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD), UNBS and oil Marketing Companies.
Its major aim is to control the quality of petroleum products. The latest figures released to the public on 1 st July 2016 during a stakeholder engagement indicated that fuel adulteration had declined to 0.6 percent in 2016 from 30 percent recorded in 2009.
UNBS with partners’ periodically hold quarterly stakeholders meeting in the fuel sector to receive feedback and share information on the quality and quantity of fuel on the market and these meetings have always been useful in exchanging ideas, addressing concerns and curbing non compliant products on the market.
Therefore, UNBS wishes to disassociate itself from the so called leaked memo email as it’s not backed by evidence and the Newspaper did not take much initiative to seek clarification from UNBS before publishing the story hence questioning the source and spirit in which the story was written.
UNBS would like to assure the motorists and the general public that fuel in the market place meets our national standards and the stations that are found non compliant are penalized within the existing legal framework. Our mobile monitoring teams are in the field full time to provide that assurance.
