Tough sanctions await makers of substandard steel products

Feb 04, 2022

The consumers were asked to look out for the manufacturer’s initials on the bars, grade of steel, the nominal diametre and the country of origin. 

Surveillance inspectors of UNBS measuring building metallic materials during an operation, last year.

Charles Etukuri
Senior Writer @New Vision

Manufacturers of poor-quality steel, who failed to remove their substandard materials from the market by January 31, risk facing tougher sanctions and their businesses being closed by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS).

The UNBS executive director, David Livingstone Ebiru, in a letter dated January 19, to all the steel manufacturers, warned that they would apply all the available sanctions to manufacturers, whose products do not meet the specified quality standards on the market.

Ebiru’s letter comes in the wake of a meeting the steel manufacturers held on January 13, at the UNBS Standards House. 

During the meeting, UNBS directed all steel manufacturers to recall any non-conforming steel products from the distribution outlets and hardware shops countrywide. 

In an interview with New Vision on Wednesday, February 2, Ebiru said their deadline had passed. 

“All of them had made a commitment to quality and gave us the mandate to do what we will. We have given them enough time to voluntarily pick their substandard goods because they know the outlets they had sold to. We also told the hardware owners to take back what they had bought if they know they are not up to standard,” Ebiru said.

On January 19, Uganda Iron and Steel Manufacturers Association (UGISMA), under the chairmanship of Dr Sikander Lalani, met at the Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) showground in Lugogo.

The meeting was also attended by UMA executive director Daniel Birungi. 

In the meeting, Lalani cautioned members against making substandard steel for the sake of selling them cheaply, warning that they risked compromising the safety of the public. 

UGISMA members admitted that there were substandard iron bars either shorter in length or thinner in diameter that they said were flooding the market.

The consumers were asked to look out for the manufacturer’s initials on the bars, grade of steel, the nominal diametre and the country of origin.

The meeting agreed on several resolutions, key among them being that all substandard steel be recalled by January 31, 2022. 

They also agreed that the substandard steel not recalled be impounded, transferred to UNBS, and destroyed at the cost of the manufacturer and later sold as scrap.  

Hajj Abbas Mutyaba, the chairperson of Construction Hardware and Dealers Association (CHADA), said the quality of steel on the market was poor and that there was urgent need for intervention.

“What they are saying is true. Some of our manufacturers produce products that are not up to standard. So, UNBS, UMA, CHADA have been trying to work together to ensure that our customers get value for money and quality standards,” Mutyaba said.

He noted that the move by UNBS to recall the fake steel products was a good one, and encouraged their members to follow the guidelines. 

“We requested UNBS to ensure that the quality of steel is worked upon. I am sure they have been in the market and have sensitised the dealers on the quality of steel. They have tested the quality of steel and have confirmed that some of it was not up to standard. We are happy they are doing something about it,” Mutyaba added.

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