ARUA CITY HARDWARE DEALERS WELCOME UNBS DIRECTIVE ON CEMENT WEIGHING

By Onzoma Albert

Arua City

The Arua City Chamber of Commerce and local hardware dealers have welcomed the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) directive requiring all hardware retail outlets to install verified weighing scales to ensure customers can weigh cement bags before purchase.

This initiative is part of a nationwide crackdown on fraudulent practices by middle-tier dealers who siphon cement from genuine 50kg bags and resell lighter packages—often weighing only 40kg to 42kg—without customers’ knowledge.

Under the new regulation, every retail hardware shop selling cement must now have an approved, functional weighing scale.

This measure is viewed as a necessary safeguard to protect consumers from being cheated and to prevent weak construction projects resulting from inaccurate cement-to-sand mixing ratios. Buyers are encouraged to insist on weighing their cement bags at the point of sale before completing any payments.

Silas Anguzu, Chairman of Arua City Chamber of Commerce, expressed support for the directives, urging hardware dealers to flag substandard products received from factories before taking full responsibility for adulterated or underweight supplies.

“It is assumed that all the bags of cement are weighing 50kg by the time you’re taking possession, the hardware dealers should weigh them because why do they receive substandard products and then who do they want to hold responsible­, if customers buy from you 30kg of cement instead of 50kg we shall hold you responsible as chamber of commerce not the factory” he said.

Factory inspections have confirmed compliance by certified manufacturers like Tororo Cement and Hima Cement with the standard 50kg requirement.

However, the siphoning and illegal re-bagging typically occur during transit or at storage warehouses down the supply chain.

Remijo Asindu, working with Nico Traders in Rhino Camp Road endorsed the initiative, believing it will enhance trust between hardware dealers and customers.

“That’s a good move according to me but the challenge might now arise when the customer needs the cement in bulky which may delay but generally I support the move, it will only be possible if the customer will be able to wait for us until we weigh the cements one by one which may also build trust between us the dealers and the customers” he said.

Victor Stephen of New Life Hardware in Ediofe acknowledged the move but raised concerns about the difficulty and time consumption involved in weighing large quantities of cement, which could be inconvenient for both dealers and customers.

“This is a good move because we have been receiving similar complaints from many customers, the challenge I see with the move will be when someone purchase the cement in large quantity which will be very difficult for us to wait the cements because we have limited man power to do that us dealers” he said.

To prevent purchasing adulterated or underweight products, UNBS advises customers to look out for signs of tampering, such as uneven re-stitching or unusual sealing marks, and to verify the manufacturer’s logo, batch number, and production date printed on the bags. Selling lighter bags than the mandated 50kg is a criminal offense, with UNBS threatening to arrest offenders.

Local business groups and sellers support this rule as it aims to foster trust and eliminate unfair trade practices. This regulation underscores the importance of consumer protection and integrity in trade, ensuring a fairer market for all stakeholders.