The police in Namayingo district have arrested 21 people accused of drinking alcohol in bars during working hours, in violation of guidelines issued by Local Government minister Balaam Barugahara.
The suspects, comprising 13 men and eight women, were arrested today, Friday, during an operation targeting bars allegedly operating during prohibited hours. They are also accused of playing loud music that disrupted activities in surrounding communities.
The suspects are being held at Namayingo Central Police Station pending prosecution.
Under the guidelines issued by Barugahara, bars are required to open at 3pm on working days, allowing members of the public to spend the earlier part of the day engaged in productive and income-generating activities.
The minister has said the directive is intended to promote decent livelihoods by discouraging people from spending working hours drinking alcohol instead of engaging in economic activities.
Barugahara has directed local government leaders to work with police to enforce the guidelines, saying sustained enforcement would help restore order and discipline in communities.
In Namayingo, police first gathered intelligence and compiled complaints from residents who alleged that some bars were operating around the clock.
Crime intelligence officers subsequently mapped out what police described as black spots in Namayingo Town Council before conducting the operation.
The suspects were reportedly found drinking in bars during working hours and were arrested without resistance.
About a dozen of those arrested reportedly told police that they were night-shift workers who had gone to the bars to relax after completing their duties in the early hours of the morning.
However, police said most were unable to provide evidence to support their claims.
Emmy Mitala, Namayingo resident district commissioner, said similar operations would be extended to other sub-counties, particularly areas where young people are spending much of their time in bars instead of engaging in productive work.
Mitala said some of those targeted are casual labourers in gold mines who, instead of reporting for work, spend long hours drinking, exposing themselves to alcohol dependence and risking their livelihoods.
He said the mining sector requires workers to maintain high safety standards and that mine owners often dismiss workers who report for duty while intoxicated.
Such workers, Mitala said, risk losing their jobs and being replaced by those who are sober and able to work safely.
The Namayingo operation is among the first reported enforcement actions following the minister’s directive, which has generated debate over the regulation of drinking hours and the role of local authorities in enforcing it.