Standards Bureau tightens on second hand vehicle imports

June 4, 2018 in Business, Companies, Policy, Transport by Editor

June 4, 2018—Until further notice, all motor vehicles being imported into Uganda have to be inspected for roadworthiness prior to their release from customs controlled areas (bond), in what is known as destination inspection. This follows the contract expiry of the current service providers.

Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has issued new guidelines as a measure to protect the health and safety of consumers and the environment as whole against vehicles that do not meet the required standards.

In a public notice to importers and dealers, UNBS executive director, Dr. Ben Manyindo said however, “UNBS will still recognise valid Certificates of Roadworthiness by East Africa Automobile (EAA), Jabal Kilimanjaro Auto Mech. or Japan Export Vehicle Inspection Centre (JEVIC) issued before 1st June 2018.”

Between July and December, 2017, UNBS under the Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) programme, stopped the importation 246 second hand vehicles that did not comply with national safety standards.

“Such vehicles would have adverse effects on the environment and compromised the user’s safety,” Dr. Manyindo said in a statement. For several decades now, Uganda has had one of the most accommodating regimes for imports of use vehicles.

In April, the government announced intentions of halting imports of vehicles older than eight years. This prompted widespread public concern due to a probable increase of prices that would close out most of buyers. The average Ugandan will buy a car in the range of UGX 12 million to UGX25 million inclusive of all taxes for something that is usually manufactured more than 10 years ago. New vehicles will have a basic price that is ten times more.