UNBS warns public over underweight cement sold by rogue dealers

Kampala, Uganda | The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has assured the public that the country’s certified cement manufacturers are complying with national weight standards.

The bureau warns that underweight cement circulating in the market is largely the result of criminal tampering by unscrupulous traders rather than factory malpractice.

The clarification follows the circulation of viral social media videos alleging widespread sale of underweight cement bags across Uganda, raising concerns among builders, contractors and consumers.

In a media statement issued on Thursday, UNBS said all major cement manufacturers, including Tororo Cement Limited, National Cement Company of Uganda Limited (Simba Cement), Hima Cement Limited, UBIH Cement Uganda Ltd, Old Continent Group (Africa) Ltd and Metro Cement Limited, remain certified and undergo both scheduled and surprise inspections.

According to the standards body, inspectors routinely collect cement samples from production lines and storage facilities before subjecting them to testing at internationally accredited UNBS laboratories to verify both weight and quality.

The latest inspections confirmed that cement bags sampled directly from manufacturers comply with the Weights and Measures (Sale and Labelling of Goods) Rules, 2007, with findings consistent with previous compliance assessments.

However, UNBS investigations found that cases of underweight cement are emerging further along the supply chain, particularly at some hardware shops and warehouses.

The agency said market surveillance conducted during the 2025/2026 financial year uncovered three cement outlets in Mukono, Mbale and Nakasongola selling underweight cement bags.

Investigators established that operators of the outlets collected empty cement bags from construction sites, siphoned cement from genuine bags, repackaged it into the used sacks and resealed them before selling the products to unsuspecting customers.

UNBS said the affected warehouses were closed, suspects arrested and criminal proceedings initiated against those involved.

The agency also revealed that during the last financial year it confiscated more than 880 tonnes of substandard products valued at approximately shs3 billion, including food items, cosmetics and construction materials such as cement.

Officials said the operation prevented potentially dangerous products from reaching consumers and reduced risks to public health and safety.

UNBS noted that underweight cement discovered on the market is typically linked to unauthorised tampering, siphoning or repackaging during transportation, storage or at points of sale, rather than non-compliance by certified manufacturers.

To address the problem, the bureau has intensified market surveillance inspections and strengthened monitoring of pre-packaged goods to detect and eliminate cement siphoning and fraudulent repackaging practices.

The standards regulator warned that selling underweight or adulterated cement is a criminal offence punishable by arrest and prosecution.

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Hardware dealers have been directed to ensure all cement sold meets the correct weight and to install UNBS-verified weighing scales to enable customers to verify every bag before purchase.

Consumers have also been urged to insist on weighing cement bags at the point of sale, examine packaging for genuine labels, manufacturing dates and batch numbers, and avoid products showing signs of tampering or missing identification details.

UNBS further appealed to contractors and site supervisors to destroy empty cement bags after use, while encouraging manufacturers to recover used packaging materials to prevent them from being reused by fraudsters.

The public has been urged to report suspected substandard products through the UNBS toll-free lines 0800 133 133 or 0800 233 233.