BUSHENYI
Veteran politician and sociology professor Tarsis Bazana Kabwegyere has criticised Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba over his remarks that Ugandans should be free to drink and dance at any time as long as they remain peaceful.
Kabwegyere said the remarks undermine government efforts to regulate alcohol consumption and address alcohol-related social problems in the country.
Speaking during a live broadcast on 92.2 BFM Radio in Bushenyi, Kabwegyere questioned the CDF’s decision to weigh in on the operating hours of bars and drinking establishments.
“What PLU is saying is wrong. If you say you want to become a president and then say people should drink alcohol, then you are misleading them and you’re failing this nation,” Kabwegyere said.
His remarks follow a directive issued by the Minister of State for Local Government, Balaam Barugahara, ordering local authorities to enforce restrictions on alcohol sales and bar operating hours.
In an August 10 letter to LC5 chairpersons, city and division mayors and council speakers, Barugahara directed that bars, malwa joints and other alcohol-selling establishments should not open before 3:00pm on working days.
He also ordered authorities to arrest and prosecute bar owners, shop owners and malwa joint operators who sell or supply alcohol to people below 18 years.
“Local authorities and security agencies should strictly enforce this requirement and establishments found violating the law should face appropriate sanctions,” Barugahara said.
The minister further directed local authorities to immediately close establishments that repeatedly defy lawful operating hours.
However, Muhoozi subsequently appeared to relax the restriction, saying bar and club proprietors should determine their own opening and closing hours.
“Opening and closing hours for bars and clubs is up to the proprietors. What we will not tolerate is any form of fighting and violence. Otherwise, Ugandans are entitled to enjoy themselves,” Muhoozi said in a post on X.
Kabwegyere warned that allowing unrestricted access to alcohol could worsen alcohol-related problems and affect productivity.
Uganda has one of Africa’s highest levels of alcohol consumption, with significant consumption coming from unrecorded alcohol, including traditional brews and locally produced spirits.
Kabwegyere argued that easy access, aggressive marketing and cheap alcohol were contributing to alcohol-use disorders and other social problems.
He urged leaders to consider the wider consequences of alcohol abuse rather than focusing only on maintaining peace in drinking establishments.
By press time, neither Muhoozi nor the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) had responded to Kabwegyere’s remarks.
