KAMPALA — Ugandan President Gen. Yoweri Museveni has called for the country to abandon the use of plastic, metal, glass and ceramic utensils for serving hot food and drinks, citing concerns that they may contribute to the rising burden of cancer in Uganda.
The 82-year-old leader wants widely used plastic, metal, glass and ceramic kitchenware, tableware and crockery replaced with wooden alternatives to help curb cancer cases and deaths. He argues that plastics, ceramics, metal and glass can degrade when exposed to the heat of hot meals and drinks served in homes, the hospitality industry and schools.
Cups, plates, forks, spoons, saucepans and saucers are today more than 80–90 per cent made of plastic, glass, metal or ceramics, which the Ugandan leader argues are sources of the rising cancer cases among citizens.
His argument is that consumers serve hot foods — such as porridge, tea and coffee — or other hot meals and drinks on plastic, glass, metal or ceramic plates and in cups. He says high temperatures heat the surfaces of these utensils and may cause them to degrade.
He also argues that metal cups, plates and saucepans, mostly made of aluminium, may corrode, especially when metal spoons are used to stir sugar, spices or salt into tea, coffee, porridge or soup. During this process, he says, tiny metal particles may break off and end up in the food chain and, potentially, the human bloodstream.
Gen. Museveni endorsed the use of wooden food containers after a scientific assessment by a government-run Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) team. The team’s report, titled Wooden Crockery Report Summary – March 2026, found wooden materials safe for food handling and storage.
In a message recently shared on his official X platform, and in a nationally televised speech while presiding over the coronation of the Tooro king — a cultural leader in western Uganda — the President said the CBRN findings confirmed that wooden utensils made from omunyama, commonly known as mahogany, and omusisa, also known as albizia, do not release harmful substances into food and are suitable for household use.
“I have written to Matongo Wood Works Company confirming that traditional wooden food containers made from omunyama and omusisa are safe and durable,” he said.
He wants his support for the wood industry to help scale up production, describing it as part of efforts to reduce reliance on what he called fragile and unsafe ebyatika (breakable) utensils.
Import dependence
In Uganda today, plastics account for 3.8 per cent of imports, worth about US$718 million; iron and steel are worth about US$625 million; while iron and steel articles, including table and kitchenware such as plates, crockery and saucepans, account for 2.4 per cent of imports, worth about US$449 million, according to US-based Trading Economics.
Trading Economics is a financial data platform that interprets macroeconomic indicators — including GDP, inflation and interest rates — to inform market analysis and decisions across forex, stocks, commodities and cryptocurrencies, as published by NordFX.
According to the report Plastic Packaging: A Study on Plastic Imports in Uganda, published in the International Journal of Scientific Advances and authored by Ugandans Cynthia Mutonyi Wandeka, Nicholas Kiggundu and Raymonds Mutumba, plastic packaging has become an inseparable part of daily life and the global food industry because of its aesthetic appeal, strength, affordability and convenience.
“This has thus led to the increase in demand and imports of plastics in the country. However, plastic packaging alone accounts for 47 per cent of global plastic waste amidst documented threats of plastic waste to the environment-water-food-health nexus. Several reports indicate that between 1994 and 2017, Uganda imported a total of 1.9 million tons of plastic in both raw and finished form compared to 117 million tons across Africa,” the report states.
Plastic imports and use in Uganda have increased sixfold over the past three years, highlighting the growing challenge of sustainable plastic imports, product packaging, use and waste management.
“The objective of the review therefore was to explore the future trend and impact of plastic imports and packaging in Uganda by analysing plastic imports and the associated waste,” the report, available online, states.
Market trends
Another report, Uganda Plastic Disposable Tableware and Kitchenware Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends and Insights, says Uganda’s plastic tableware and kitchenware market is a high-volume, low-unit-value consumer goods market shaped by rapid urbanisation, a young and expanding population, and deep import dependence on finished plastic articles.
The market spans household retail demand, foodservice and hospitality procurement, institutional buyers such as schools and health facilities, and a large informal trade network that moves products through open-air markets and small shops.
Because domestic polymer-conversion capacity is thin relative to consumption, the market’s price structure, product mix and supply reliability are heavily tied to imported finished goods and regional re-export flows from Kenya, China, the United Arab Emirates and India.
In its key findings, the report says demand is structurally import-led, with an estimated 70–85 per cent of finished tableware and kitchenware reaching the market through imports or regional re-exports. This makes landed cost, freight and import duties the dominant pricing factors.
“Household and informal food service buyers account for the largest share of volume, with retail and open-market channels estimated to handle 60–75 per cent of unit sales, while organised food service, hotels, and institutional buyers represent a smaller but faster-growing and more brand-sensitive segment,” it states.
Market growth is likely to run in the mid-single digits to low double digits through 2035, with volume expanding faster than value because competitive pressure and low-cost imports keep unit prices flat in real terms across most basic product categories.
Urbanisation and the expansion of quick-service food, street food and catering in Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono and secondary towns are driving demand for disposable plates, cups, cutlery and takeaway containers — a segment growing faster than durable kitchenware.
“Buyers are gradually shifting toward thicker, reusable, and food-grade plastic kitchenware as durability and hygiene concerns rise, creating a modest premium tier that competes on material quality and finish rather than price alone. Retail modernisation through supermarkets, mini-marts, and online resellers is slowly changing distribution, but the informal wholesale and open-market network still sets reference prices that the rest of the market follows,” the report adds.
Key challenges it cites include import dependence, which exposes Uganda’s plastic tableware and kitchenware market to exchange-rate volatility, freight-cost swings and global resin price movements that local suppliers cannot fully absorb.
It further notes that regulatory pressure on single-use plastics and environmental concerns are creating uncertainty for disposable tableware lines, forcing suppliers to adapt product specifications and packaging.
Thin margins, fragmented distribution and price competition from low-cost imports also make it difficult for higher-quality or locally assembled products to gain durable market share without clear differentiation.
Market structure
Uganda’s plastic tableware and kitchenware market is best understood as a fast-moving consumer goods category with a strong business-to-business foundation.
On the business-to-consumer side, households buy plates, bowls, cups, storage containers, jugs, cutlery and basic kitchen tools through supermarkets, mini-marts, kiosks and open-air markets. On the business-to-business side, restaurants, hotels, caterers, schools, hospitals and event organisers buy plastic and metalware in bulk, often prioritising price and availability over brand.
The products are tangible, relatively low-tech and highly substitutable, meaning competition is driven by distribution reach, landed cost and packaging rather than technology or intellectual property.
The market’s structure reflects Uganda’s broader consumer economy. A young, urbanising population with rising disposable income in cities supports steady volume growth, but average purchasing power remains modest. As a result, the market is dominated by low-cost, small-pack and single-piece sales.
Imported products from China, India, the United Arab Emirates and Kenya compete with a limited local conversion base that mostly handles injection moulding, blow moulding and the assembly of selected items.
This mix means Uganda’s plastic tableware and kitchenware market behaves more like an import-led consumer goods market than a manufacturing-driven one. Its pricing, availability and product mix therefore track regional trade flows and global resin costs.
Source: https://www.indexbox.io/store/uganda-plastic-disposable-tableware-and-kitchenware-market-analysis-forecast-size-trends-and-insights/
Presidential directive
Details of a March 27, 2026 communication attributed to the Ugandan President indicate that State House has directed full funding for Matongo Wood Works Company to expand the production of wooden crockery.
The directive was copied to key institutions, including the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) and the Ministry of Health, for implementation and oversight. It also called for wide dissemination of both the presidential communication and the CBRN findings through official government channels to raise public awareness of the safety of indigenous food-handling technologies.
According to the CBRN report, samples were subjected to controlled laboratory testing under conditions simulating real-life use, including exposure to hot and cold water, acidic and alkaline substances, and different food types.
The assessment, which employed advanced analytical methods such as GC-MS/MS and XRF, found no evidence of toxic chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear substances in the wooden materials or in food served in them. The report also confirmed the absence of heavy metals.
However, the study noted that albizia wood may release colour into liquid foods under certain conditions, although this was not linked to any health risk. Mahogany showed no colour transfer and was recommended as more suitable for serving liquids.
The report outlined handling and maintenance guidelines, including proper cleaning, avoiding prolonged soaking, and periodic conditioning with food-grade oils such as olive and linseed oil to maintain durability and hygiene.
President Museveni underscored the long-standing cultural use of wooden and clay utensils, noting that traditional items such as milk pots and wooden bowls had served communities effectively for decades.
The endorsement is expected to fuel debate on integrating indigenous knowledge into modern manufacturing and food-safety standards, as the government pushes for greater local innovation and reduced dependence on imported household products.
Cancer burden
Researchers noted that albizia wood released some colour into liquids, but tests confirmed that the substance was not harmful. Mahogany showed no colour transfer, making it suitable for serving liquid foods.
The researchers recommended thorough cleaning, drying and regular oiling with food-grade oils to preserve the safety and durability of wooden utensils.
In another study, Estimating Regional and National Cancer Incidence in Uganda: A Retrospective Population-Based Study, 2013–2017, researchers Annet Nakaganda, Angela Spencer, Collins Mpamani, Cissy Nassolo, Sarah Nambooze, Henry Wabinga, Isla Gemmell, Andrew Jones, Jackson Orem and Arpana Verma stated: “Cancer is becoming a major health problem in Uganda. Cancer control requires accurate estimates of the cancer burden for planning and monitoring of the cancer control strategies.”
“However, cancer estimates and trends for Uganda are mainly based on one population-based cancer registry (PBCR), located in Kampala, the capital city, due to a lack of PBCRs in other regions. This study aimed at estimating cancer incidence among the geographical regions and providing national estimates of cancer incidence in Uganda,” they wrote.
The retrospective study, using a catchment-population approach, was conducted from June 2019 to February 2020. It registered all newly diagnosed cancer cases recorded between 2013 and 2017 in three geographical regions: Central, Western and Eastern.
Using regions as strata, stratified random sampling was used to select the study populations. Cases were coded according to the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD-O-3). Data were analysed using CanReg5 and Microsoft Excel.
A total of 11,598 cases — 5,157 males and 6,441 females — were recorded. The overall national age-standardised incidence rates were 82.9 per 100,000 people among males and 87.4 per 100,000 among females.
The regional rates were 125.4 per 100,000 among males and 134.6 per 100,000 among females in the Central region; 58.2 per 100,000 among males and 56.5 per 100,000 among females in the Western region; and 46.5 per 100,000 among males and 53.7 per 100,000 among females in the Eastern region.
Overall, the most common cancers among males during the study period were cancers of the prostate, oesophagus, Kaposi’s sarcoma, stomach and liver. Among females, the most frequent were cancers of the cervix, breast, oesophagus, Kaposi’s sarcoma and stomach.
In their conclusion, the researchers stated: “The overall cancer incidence rates from this study are different from the documented national estimates for Uganda. Studies like this one are critical in enhancing the cancer surveillance system by estimating regional and national cancer incidence and allowing for the planning and monitoring of evidence-based cancer control strategies at all levels.”
