Opendi Tables Alcholic Drinks Control Bill, Proposes 10-Year Jail Term for Offenders

Tororo District Women Representative, Sarah Opendi, has tabled the Alcoholic Drinks Control Bill 2023, proposing a jail term of 10 years or fine of Shs20m for anyone found selling alcoholic drinks before 5pm and beyond 10pm on working days.

Opendi wants the employment of a person below the age 18 years in premises in which an alcoholic drink is manufactured, sold, stored or consumed prohibited, and proposed a fine not exceeding one thousand currency points (Shs20m) or imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years, or both.

She said the bill has been gazetted as required by law, noting that she was granted leave of the House to introduce the Bill on 08 November 2022.

The Bill got its first reading even without the required certificate of financial implications, having passed the mandatory 60 days required to wait for the Bill’s approval from the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.

“The Minister for Finance declined to give a certificate of financial implications to the Bill and subsequently, we have had to invoke section 76(4) of the Public Finance Management Act, 2015 for the Bill to be read for the first time,” said Speaker Anita Among.

While chairing the House, Among noted that since the Bill had passed the mandatory 60-day threshold, it was thus ready to be tabled on the floor of the House.