PUBLIC FOOD SAFETY ALERT: Poisonous seeds found mixed with beans in local markets
MAAIF has received complaints and verified evidence that rubber tree seeds (Hevea brasiliensis) are being fraudulently mixed with beans sold in some markets, notably in Agago District, posing a potential risk to public health.
1. HOW TO IDENTIFY THEM:
-Beans are flat or kidney-shaped. Rubber seeds are round like a marble.
-They have a shiny grey-white colour with dark brown/black spots and stripes.
-They have a small white dot where they were attached to the pod.
-See photos attached. If you see them, they are NOT beans.
2. WHY THEY ARE DANGEROUS:
These seeds are *NOT FOOD*. They are not edible.
I. They contain natural poison (cyanogenic glycosides) that can cause food poisoning.
II. If eaten raw or cooked with beans, they can cause: severe stomach pain, vomiting, dizziness, headache, weakness and diarrhoea.
III. Children are at higher risk. Chickens and pigs can also die if they eat many.
This is a case of *Food Adulteration*- accidental or intentional mixing of non-food items with food, which is illegal and dangerous.
3. WHAT CONSUMERS SHOULD DO:
Before buying:
I. Pour the beans on a flat tray and look through them before you pay.
II. Buy from trusted traders who clean their beans.
Before cooking:
-Sort thoroughly on a table or large plate. Remove ALL round mottled seeds, stones, and broken beans.
-Wash beans 2-3 times with clean water.
- Do not cook if you are not sure-bring a sample to your extension worker or Health Centre.
If someone has eaten them:
-Do not wait. Go immediately to the nearest Health Centre/Hospital and carry some of the seeds to show the health workers.
4. WHAT TRADERS AND MARKET LEADERS SHOULD DO:
I. Never store beans in sacks that were previously used for rubber seeds or other non-food items.
II. Always clean and sort beans before putting them on sale.
III. Market leaders ( SAS, Agricultural Police & Market Masters) should inspect produce regularly.
5. MAAIF APPEAL:
We call upon all LC1, LC2, Parish Chiefs, and VHTs to spread this message. Food safety is everyone's responsibility.
Eat Safe. Stay Healthy. Sort Your Beans Before Cooking!
Shilling touches Shs4,500, weakest in 33 years.
The slide is being driven by panic buying, huge demand from the energy sector and offshore investors attempting to exit Uganda's bond market https://t.co/cqiJ7JFvOC #MonitorUpdates
๐จ๐ซ๐ท BREAKING:
France has confirmed the worldโs FIRST known human infection with the Shamonda virus...
The patient has died.
It was previously believed to only affect animals.
First identified in Nigeria in the 1960s, it spreads through tiny biting insects called midges and has been circulating among European livestock throughout 2026.
Now it has jumped to a human for the first time in recorded history...
French authorities say there is currently no evidence of widespread human transmission and no identified risk to the general population.
For now.
Source: Reuters / Writers: Mhedi, Michael
A Ugandan citizen was brutally attacked by a large crowd on the streets of Durban today. He sustained severe injuries and was rushed to the hospital, our thoughts and prayers are with him for a swift recovery. If these targeted attacks against our citizens continue, we must consider reciprocal actions, such as Boycotting South African businesses like MTN.
๐จ๐จDEAN OF THIEVES ๐จ๐จ
We the traders, boda riders, youth and ordinary Ugandans have suffered enough. We are not refusing to pay tax. We are refusing to be over taxed and scammed by a system designed to make us poor.
This is how URA over taxes us;
1. Six Taxes on One Item. This is a Scam.
You import one phone or one bale of clothes. URA charges you;
- Import Duty 25%
- Excise Duty
- VAT 18%
- Withholding Tax 6%
- Infrastructure Levy 1.5%
- Environmental Levy 30%
One item, six taxes stacked on top of each other. By the time you reach Kikuubo, the price has tripled. Who can afford that? This is not taxation, this is extortion.
2. PAYE 40% - Highest in East Africa.
In Rwanda PAYE is 30%, Tanzania 30%, Kenya 30%. In Uganda it's 40%. A worker who earns 1M takes home only 600k. Government takes 400k before you even buy food which also has 18% VAT. Where is our take home? ๐
3. Fuel Excise Raised Every Year.
Fuel excise from 1,350/= to 1,550/= to now 1,750/=per litre. Every time fuel goes up, everything goes up taxi fare, food, cement, soap. Yet URA says they are widening tax base.
4. Double Taxation on Small Businesses.
A small shop owner in Kampala pays: Trading license to KCCA, Income tax to URA, VAT 18% plus daily EFRIS fines of 2M, 6M for small mistakes. Many shops closed in 2024-2025 because of EFRIS enforcement without education.
5. EFRIS and Instant Fines are Digital Scam.
URA introduced EFRIS but did not train traders. Now a mistake of not issuing a receipt is 2M fine, then 6M. How can a woman selling tomatoes afford 6M? This is not tax collection rather this is punishment of the poor.
6. 11% Tax to GDP yet Harassing the Same 1 Million People.
URA collects only 11% of GDP, the lowest in EAC because they fear to tax the rich and the corrupt who steal billions. So they squeeze the same 1 million compliant Ugandans, boda riders, market women and small shops over and over.
What we ask not request because we are tax payers;
1. Reduce PAYE from 40% to 30% like our neighbors.
2. Reduce VAT from 18% to 10% like Kenya.
3. Stop stacking 6 taxes on one imported item and harmonize to one single tax.
4. Stop EFRIS fines until every trader is trained free of charge.
5. Publish online how every shilling is used.
URA @URAuganda , you are not collecting tax. You are killing businesses. You are making Uganda the most expensive country to live in East Africa.
If you tax us to death, who will pay tax tomorrow?
We Pay Tax, We Deserve Respect, Not Scam.
#TaxJusticeUg #EndOverTaxation
@UEDCLTD@uetcl The New Jinja bridge is in total darkness so the camera. No traffic officers on other side of the bridge as well better do something before things get out of hand.
Today I spent my Independence Day at the source of the Nile /souvenir market . Truth to be told I was a kind disappointed. The place is under construction but why charge an entry fee yet i have pay for other activities like taking a boat to see the actual start of the Nile .