Following a tip off by Clement Okwiya who was quality controller of Blue Wave mineral water company in 2015, the office of the Prime Minister was forced to swing into action to ascertain why the public had quit drinking this brand and to confirm if the information that was going around was authentic.
How ever much Okwiya was later fired for releasing “secret information” to UNBS, it was later found out that one of the company’s water storage tanks that the company supplied had water that had a green colour which scientists say is a sign of dirtiness and poor storage despite the tank having a UNBS quality mark on to it.
The Prime Minister Dr Ruhakana Rugunda subsequently ordered for the closure of this company since it did not comply with the standards of UNBS and following concerns from several members of parliament.
The Luzira based Blue Wave mineral water company is owned by Chinese Directors; Laming Fang and his wife Quain Lieu.
A sharp rift has emerged between Members of Parliament sitting on Equal Opportunities committee chaired by Muhammad Nsereko and Ben Manyindo’s UNBS over fake reports given by the latter about Blue Wave.
It is alleged that following Blue Wave’s initial closure in 2015, UNBS wrote a compromising report that pleaded with government to reopen the company even when many of the safety guidelines were not followed.
The UNBS surveillance team is faulted for not doing thorough investigations into the matter and undermining the role of legislature into inquiring about the matter.
They are also accused of protecting the owners of Blue Wave from being interrogated and expressing dismay over the motives behind this unusual and uncalled for protection of wrong characters.
As UNBS’s lab chemists fail to reach a final conclusion on why Blue Wave mineral water is not good for consumption, a Member of parliament has embarked on research about ascertaining the facts behind the company’s operation in Uganda.
In his findings, the MP who preferred anonymity said, “The bacteria contamination levels are extremely high but UNBS certifies that the water is good for human consumption yet their production processes have a lot of braches regarding reverse osmosis”
After several closures and reopening of Blue Wave Mineral Water company, Ugandans await to hear what is next, if the company will be reopened again or not.
By Sadiiki Adams
