Government has proposed a 15-year jail term for individuals who manufacture, distribute, import, export or sell falsified or adulterated agricultural chemicals and equipment.
The proposal is contained in the Food and Agriculture Regulatory Authority Bill, 2026 tabled by the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Frank Tumwebaze, during the plenary sitting of August 25, 2026. The Bill also seeks to prohibit sleeping in rooms where food meant for public consumption is stored.
Under Clause 82(3), the Bill provides: “A person that contravenes this section commits an offence and is liable on conviction to (a) in the case of a corporate body, to a fine not exceeding 20,000 currency points (UGX 400 million) or (b) in the case of an individual, to a fine not exceeding 5,000 currency points (UGX 100 million) or imprisonment not exceeding fifteen years or both.”
According to the minister,the Bill seeks to bar the manufacture, formulation, blending, repacking, distribution, importation, exportation, supply or sale of any agricultural chemical that is not registered by the Authority.
Under Clause 68, a corporate body that contravenes this provision faces a fine not exceeding 5,000 currency points (UGX 100 million), while an individual faces a fine not exceeding 500 currency points (UGX 10 million) or imprisonment not exceeding ten years, or both.
The Minister further proposed to regulate the sale of cooked food. A person who sells food without a license or sleeps in the same room as cooked food meant for the public commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding 1,300 currency points (UGX 26 million) or imprisonment not exceeding twelve years, or both.
“The country is flooded with counterfeit and substandard veterinary medicines and agricultural chemicals. Further, there are high levels of medicines and chemical residues and contaminants such as aflatoxins, harmful microorganisms and metals in our food and feed. The existence of these substances in our food and feed compromises our health and safety and greatly affects the integrity of our food exports,” Tumwebaze said.
He added that continued presence of substandard inputs has led to increased pest and disease incidences, treatment failures, antimicrobial resistance, unsafe food, harmful feeds and increased production costs.
Tumwebaze attributed the problem to fragmented regulation by multiple agencies, which has resulted in duplication, inefficiencies and weak enforcement, as well as a legal framework that is not aligned with international standards set by the World Trade Organization and the World Organisation for Animal Health.
In Clause 52, government proposes to regulate trade in unprocessed food by requiring shops, markets, supermarkets and kiosks dealing in unprocessed food to obtain certificates and pay prescribed fees. The Authority will have powers to cancel or suspend certificates where premises become contaminated.
A person who sells, stores, supplies or distributes unprocessed food without a license commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding 10,000 currency points (UGX 200 million) for a corporate body, or 500 currency points (UGX 10 million) or imprisonment not exceeding ten years for an individual, or both.
The Bill also prohibits supply of substandard veterinary medicine that does not conform to standards on efficacy, safety or quality. A corporate body that contravenes this faces a fine of up to 10,000 currency points (UGX 200 million), while an individual faces up to 3,000 currency points (UGX 60 million) or five years imprisonment, or both.
Under Clause 21, manufacture, import, export, distribution or supply of any veterinary medicine not registered with the Authority will be prohibited. A corporate body faces a fine of 3,000 currency points (UGX 60 million), while an individual faces 900 currency points (UGX 18 million) or ten years imprisonment, or both.
The Bill further requires all veterinary medicine shops to be licensed by the Authority. Operating without a license attracts a fine of 5,000 currency points (UGX 100 million) for a corporate body or 1,000 currency points (UGX 20 million) or five years imprisonment for an individual.
Packaging, labelling, advertising or sale of veterinary medicine in a false, misleading or deceptive manner will also be criminalised, attracting a fine of up to 10,000 currency points (UGX 200 million) for companies and 5,000 currency points (UGX 50 million) or five years imprisonment for individuals.
