Uganda added to world alcohol poisoning watch list

The United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has added Uganda to an updated travel advisory list, warning British nationals about the acute danger of methanol poisoning from counterfeit or tainted alcoholic drinks. 

Uganda joins seven other countries, including Kenya, Russia and Nigeria on the expanded list. Others are Ecuador, Japan, Mexico and Peru.

It follows reported alcohol poisoning incidents involving British citizens in these nations. 

While the FCDO did not release details of specific events in Uganda, the inclusion is a spotlight on the country’s recorded severe and persistent challenge with illicit, unrecorded alcohol. 

Methanol, an industrial chemical highly toxic for human consumption, is illegally used by unscrupulous distillers to cut costs, leading to symptoms ranging from nausea and blurred vision to permanent blindness and death.

A New Global Warning

The updated travel advice urges travellers to exercise extreme caution when consuming alcohol in these countries. 

The FCDO's campaign advises against purchasing any unsealed alcoholic drinks and strongly recommends avoiding homemade alcohol, pre-mixed spirits, or cocktails served in buckets or jugs, which are often targets for adulteration. 

For Uganda, this move provides official international recognition of a long-standing public health crisis rooted in the domestic production of unregulated spirits.

Health and Economic Toll of Tainted Spirits

For years, the problem of illicit alcohol has ravaged Ugandan communities. 

Outbreaks of methanol poisoning are not uncommon, with devastating consequences. 

A prominent incident occurred in August 2022 across Arua City and Madi-Okollo District, where a cluster of sudden deaths was traced back to adulterated gin. 

Investigations revealed that of the 48 cases identified, 18 people died, representing a case-fatality rate of 38%. 

Samples of the tainted gin were found to contain methanol concentrations vastly exceeding the maximum safe limit of 50mg/L. 

The health impact is particularly felt by men in their late twenties and thirties. 

Besides the human toll, illicit alcohol production is estimated to account for up to 67% of the total alcohol market by volume and costs the national treasury an estimated Shs 3 trillion annually in lost tax revenue, a figure industry bodies frame as economic sabotage.

The proliferation of illicit drinks is fundamentally driven by a regulatory vacuum and economic factors. 

Unregulated producers, often operating illegally, find it profitable to substitute ethanol with cheaper, toxic methanol. 

Furthermore, high excise duty on legal spirits makes them unaffordable for many consumers, driving them toward cheaper, unrecorded alternatives. 

To tackle this, the Ugandan government and stakeholders have attempted comprehensive policy reforms. 

In June 2019, the government implemented a ban on sachet spirits to eliminate easily concealed and unregulated alcohol. 

More recently, Parliament debated the Alcoholic Drinks Control Bill, 2023, which aimed to introduce stricter rules on manufacturing, licensing, sale hours, and advertising, though the Bill faced a setback when it was rejected in August 2024. 

Despite legislative challenges, collaborative efforts continue through bodies like the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) and industry groups, which run public awareness campaigns to educate consumers on the dangers of illicit alcohol.