Uganda is facing an escalating alcohol abuse crisis, with new findings showing rising consumption among youth and women, high levels of heavy episodic drinking, and widening gaps in regulation across the country.
The revelations are contained in the Uganda Alcohol Status Report (ASR) 2026, a comprehensive national review launched during a stakeholder validation meeting at Fairway Hotel on Friday.
The report indicates that Uganda remains among the countries with the highest burden of harmful alcohol use in the WHO African Region, with a pooled past-month alcohol use prevalence of 33.7%.
The prevalence rises sharply among men at 46.1%, while fishing communities recorded the highest prevalence at 52.6%.
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Researchers also found that more than half of current drinkers engage in Heavy Episodic Drinking (HED), while alcohol use during pregnancy stands at 30.8%, raising concern among public health experts.
Speaking during the meeting, Richard Baguma, the chairperson of the Executive Board of the Uganda Alcohol Policy Alliance, said the findings paint a disturbing picture of alcohol consumption trends in Uganda.
"More than a quarter of men in this country drink alcohol on a daily basis. Every time you get 10 people, a quarter of them are taking alcohol every day," Baguma said.
He noted that the report revealed a direct relationship between poverty and alcohol consumption, with poorer communities registering higher drinking rates.
"If you look at the poverty statistics and compare them with regions consuming a lot of alcohol like Karamoja and Busoga, you realise they are also among the poorest regions. The poorer you are, the more alcohol you drink in this country," he said.
Baguma added that the increasing consumption among young people was particularly alarming.
"The second thing that is worrying in the trends is that alcohol is taken most by the younger people, by the youth. There is a rapid increase in the amount of consumption of alcohol among our young population," he said.
He warned that the trends are unfolding in an environment with weak regulation.
"These trends are happening in a situation where there is almost no regulation, no law. People can drink anytime they want and drink any type of alcohol they want," he said.
The report further revealed that only 14.6% of districts in Uganda currently have operational alcohol regulations, exposing major gaps between central government policy and district-level implementation.
Prudence Arurinde, the Secretary General of the Uganda Alcohol Policy Alliance, said the increasing number of women consuming alcohol should concern families and policymakers alike.
"We are having more women who are consuming alcohol, especially in areas like Karamoja, Teso and West Nile. Where does it leave our families? Who is taking care of the children?" she asked.
Arurinde described the report as an eye-opener and called for stronger national regulation of alcohol.
"We are pushing for a national policy and regulation at national level because many people are consuming a lot of alcohol without understanding the consequences," she said.
She also called for a multi-sectoral response involving various ministries and agencies to address the growing problem of unregulated and unrecorded alcohol.
The Uganda Alcohol Status Report 2026 was developed through a systematic review of 231 studies, with 48 studies included in a meta-analysis.
Key determinants associated with alcohol use included low socioeconomic status, low education levels, HIV status, and proximity to alcohol outlets.
The report linked alcohol consumption to increased HIV risk, intimate partner violence, tuberculosis, poor mental health, hypertension, diabetes and cancers.
Dr Hafsa Lukwata Sentongo, the assistant commissioner for Mental Health and Control of Substance Use at the Ministry of Health, said the rise in alcohol use among women and young people should worry the country.
"We are seeing quite a number of women who have joined the bandwagon. Initially it used to be more males and just very few females," she said.
She warned that alcohol consumption during pregnancy could have severe consequences on children.
"If a mother who is taking alcohol conceives and has a child, then we are going to have issues with this child in so many ways. Their brains may not be as active as those who were not exposed to alcohol," she said.
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Sentongo also raised concern over the widespread availability of unregulated alcohol.
"Most of it is unrecorded. These are people who are not paying tax and the products have not gone through quality measures," she said.
She warned that some products could be adulterated, exposing consumers to poisoning and other health complications.
"We know that alcohol is responsible for over 200 diseases, especially non-communicable diseases like hypertension, diabetes and cancers, which are all on the rise," she said.
The report recommends the urgent enactment and funding of the Alcoholic Drinks Control Bill 2023/2024, stricter alcohol advertising restrictions, mandatory health warnings, district alcohol ordinances, and integration of alcohol screening into primary healthcare and HIV services.
Researchers also called for investment in national surveillance systems and more studies on the economic burden of alcohol-related harm in Uganda.
