KARAMOJA: Local leaders in Moroto district have called for thorough investigations and prosecution of those behind the trade in illicit alcohol that has exacerbated poverty and chronic illness among the population in the region.
The leaders say that operations to stop the sale of crude waragi in Karamoja have been going on for years, leading to the destruction of millions of shillings worth of waragi, but the people who do this are never caught or charged, which is counterproductive.
John Robert Adupa, the LC 3 chairperson of Lotisan sub-county in Moroto district, says that police claim that their operations target waragi traders, transporters, and owners, but they have never seen perpetrators arrested, raising questions about whether the business will really stop. Adupa says as leaders they want the local illicit gin completely stopped from entering the region because people take it on empty stomachs, leading to deaths.
He says that illicit alcohol consumption has visible effects on the household economy, health, and well-being of the communities, which they cannot continue to ignore. “We really want to know the people behind the trade in illicit gin. How can waragi continue penetrating the region despite the roadblocks mounted by security? ” Adupa wondered. Adupa says that he has caught several security officers who were involved in the illegal trade of waragi, but nothing has been done to punish the bad officers.
Ismail Mohammed, the mayor of Moroto municipality, notes that impounding illicit gin is not a solution, and instead the government should provide a long-term solution to solve the problem. He said pouring waragi has become a daily routine and the exercise is not working enough to contain the illicit gin. According to Mohammed, it seems there are some people with power who are benefiting from the trade, adding that there is a need to dig deeper to understand why the business is still booming despite the ban.
Joseph Abura, the Church of Uganda Bishop for Karamoja diocese, says the operations against waragi have been there for so long and he is skeptical if the business will end. Abura asked security to explain how waragi can get into the area when police are stationed at all checkpoints to stop it.
George William Wopuwa, the Moroto Resident District Commissioner, observed that waragi can only be stopped from entering the community if all leaders accept to work together to fight it. Wopuwa notes that this is a business that earns money for some people, and they have their own consumers in the community, making it hard for security to arrest them without any leads. He says that traders have found ways to move the gin without security noticing. Because of this, he says, the community should work together to tell the police about such cases.
Peter Mugabi, the Moroto District Police Commander, has asked the leaders to bear with the security operations against the illicit gin because there is no other action they can take against the traders without specific guidance from the law. Mugabi also said that the local leaders were to blame because they were hiding the waragi dealers instead of telling the police so that they could be punished.
The Enguli (Manufacture and Licensing ) Act 1966 prohibits the dealing and consumption of waragi and imposes a fine not exceeding three thousand schillings or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or both.
