Legal Metrology Department

The UNBS Legal Metrology Department enforces the Weights and Measures Act Cap 84 with related amendments and subsidiary legislations. The Department has five regional offices that are responsible for the verification of instruments used in trade throughout the country. The offices are situated in Kampala, Jinja, Mbarara, Mbale and Lira.

In addition to the five regional offices, the Prepackage Control division ensures that the labelling and quantity of the prepackaged goods conform to the Sale and Labelling of goods regulation and the Volume and Flow division ensures the verification of fuel road tankers, depot meters, dip sticks, fuel dispensers and pressure gauges.

UNBS also runs the Pattern Approval scheme where all new models of instruments imported or manufactured in Uganda and intended to be used in the field of Legal Metrology, undergo Type Evaluations and Type Approval before they are in use in Uganda. UNBS has had discussions with Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) and has already started the verification of electricity meters. Still in reference to utility meters, discussions will start soon with National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) to ensure fair trade in regard to the water meters that are used for domestic and commercial services.

Instruments verified by Legal Metrology Department include weights, weighing and measuring equipment that are used in trade:

• Counter Machines;
• Spring Balance;
• Platform Scales;
• Weights (Class M2 and M3);
• Measures of Length;
• Capacity Measures
• Automatic weighers;
• Fuel dispensers
• Depot meters
• Aviation meters
• Dipsticks
• Weigh-Bridges;
• Self-Indicating Machine
• Pressure gauges.