UBL Managing Director, Andrew Kilonzo, addressing the press
The Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL) has announced a 12% growth in 2023.
UBL Managing Director, Andrew Kilonzo, made the announcement in a media engagement at the UBL Plant in Luzira on Monday.
“We had a good year. We grew 12%. We have added value to EABL. We are so proud of that,”said Kilonzo.
Although he did not disclose a number of details, he attributed the growth to high-end beer sales. Guinness, Tusker Lite, Bell and Pilsner among other premium beers accounted for the growth.
Illicit Alcohol
65% of alcohol consumed in Uganda is informal and unregulated. This is worrying to UBL. According to UBL Commercial Director, Emmy Hashakimana, the government loses Shs 1.7 trillion annually in uncollected taxes as a result of informal and unregulated alcohol. He adds that there is quite a lot of investment that the government misses out because of the unleveled playing field.
He adds that the sector misses out on innovation. “The opportunity that we are missing out on is a real one. There would 3 times the number of industries that are there in theory. The benefits are there to see in regulation,” added Kilonzo.
Alcohol Bill
Speaking about the recently dismissed Alcohol Control Bill, Kilonzo welcomed the decision.
“We are a very heavily regulated industry already. So, for us the impact is business as usual. We will continue with our journey and our agenda to ensure that our products are available and consumed responsibly. And we are going to be compliant as regulations change, the standards are adjusted and we are going to ensure that we are always on the right side of the law,” said Kilonzo.
He added that there is need to address the issue of illicit, unregulated and informal alcohol.
“I am optimistic that the conversation will not die with the Alcohol Bill because we believe that there were some solutions in the Bill that can be taken to address the problem that exists in alcohol consumption,” he added.
“We are therefore going to be supportive of actions that are going to tame informal, illicit and unregulated and those who are willing to bend and twists the rules that may put consumers and and regulated players at risk.”
“We are happy to have leveled playing field and are happy to compete at any level but we need a leveled playing field for that to happen. We are confident that the issues that were identified as already addressed by existing laws but we still feel that there is an opportunity to address the issue of illicit, informal and unregulated drinks that may be in our industry,” he said.
