Uganda National Bureau of Standards


The Uganda National Bureau of Standards is a government agency, established by an Act of Parliament of Uganda. The UNBS is responsible for the formulation, promotion of the use of, and the enforcement of standards in protection of the environment, public health and safety.

Location

The headquarters of UNBS are located in Standards House, in "Bweyogerere Industrial Park", at Plot 2–12 Kyaliwajala Road, in Kira Town, Wakiso District, approximately, by road, northeast of the central business district of Kampala, the capital city and largest metropolitan area in Uganda. The geographical coordinates of the UNBS headquarters are: 0°22'06.0"N, 32°39'43.0"E.

Overview

The main functions of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards are to formulate and promote the use of national standards and to develop quality control and quality assurance systems. The objective is to provide consumer protection, safeguard public safety and health, enhance commercial and industrial development and promote international trade. UNBS is under mandate to develop and promote standardisation, quality assurance, laboratory testing and metrology.
UNBS, in collaboration with other government agencies have launched a campaign to attempt to eliminate sub-standard products from the Ugandan market. In July 2017, the agency destroyed goods valued at USh900 million, that were deemed to be sub-standard. In February 2016, UNBS banned the sale of cosmetic products containing mercury and hydroquinone.

Administration

The agency is governed by a nine-person National Standards Council. The day-to-day activities of the bureau are supervised by an 18-person management team, headed by Ben Manyindo.