Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has said irregular and misleading labelling of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders is growing and increasingly becoming a threat to consumers.
LPG, which is commonly referred to as gas cylinder is a key household and commercial cooking stable.
Speaking ahead of an exercise that will enforce weights and measures among LPG gas suppliers in Kampala, Mukono and Wakiso districts, Mr Jackson Mukisa, the UNBS head of weights and measures division, said there was an increase in non-uniform labelling of cylinders.
“Dealers are selling cylinders which do not have uniform weights. A cylinder must be labelled with its tare weight, net and gross weight. Some are labelled with numbers that are not understandable,” he said, noting this was illegal and misleading consumers.
Mr Mukisa also noted that gas cylinder suppliers must have weighing machines on which cylinders are measured before they are sold.
UNBS also said, according to findings, that consumers raised a number of issues resulting from outright failure by manufacturers and distributors to clearly inform customers of what is being put out on the market.
“People have been complaining. Containers look the same but because of poor labelling, it’s hard to tell the exact quantity in the cylinders. The labels are misleading and carrying different information,” Ms Joselyn Biira Mwine, the UNBS spokesperson, said.
She also noted that the use of LPG gas in Uganda is not regulated, which presents consumers with a number of challenges.
“The industry is unregulated as per now. So we shall be conducting stop checks. It is from this that we shall come up with a report that will later be used to draft laws for the industry,” she said.
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