Uganda: Eastern Uganda Records Highest Fuel Quality Violations - Report

What the report says

Eastern Uganda recorded the highest share of fuel quality violations in Uganda, according to a report covered by The Independent and distributed by AllAfrica. The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) said its August 2026 Fuel Quality Monitoring Programme found 123 noncompliant fuel stations nationwide, with 58 of them in the Eastern region. The agency said this continued a pattern it has seen for years, with the east repeatedly emerging as the least compliant region.

UNBS supervisor Peter Kitimbo said the agency has stepped up monitoring by using mobile laboratories acquired with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development. Inspectors visited 4,924 retail fuel stations across the country during the month. The main issues cited in the report were operating without valid licences and selling fuel that did not meet required standards. UNBS also pointed to fuel adulteration, smuggling of untaxed fuel, and dumping of export-bound products into the domestic market as recurring concerns.

The report said the national fuel retail sector still had a high overall compliance rate, but enforcement remains difficult because some operators change ownership, move locations, or try to avoid inspections. UNBS said it wants to increase inspection frequency, including through more mobile laboratories. Some fuel dealers in Eastern Uganda argued that slim profit margins make compliance harder for smaller businesses, highlighting the tension between regulation and business pressures in the sector.