Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA) has suspended seven water companies after an inspection revealed that they produce unsafe drinking water.
The suspension was announced, on June 28, during an ongoing inspection.
A statement signed by Emile Bienvenue, the Director-General of Rwanda FDA says: "In Line with the FDA’s mission to safeguard the health of the public, Rwanda FDA would like to warn the public about a potentially unsafe exposure to drinking water.”
It says, "After running laboratory tests we have noticed that drinking water produced by several companies highlighted below is unsafe for consumption and thus has been suspended from production.”
The companies include Aqua Water Ltd located in Kimironko sector, CCHAF Jibu Franchise Ltd in Kanombe Sector, and IRIBA Water Ltd also found in Kimironko sector.
Others are J WAY GROUP located in the Nyarugunga sector, Bibare cell, JIBU PHESTIVE Ltd in Kimironko sector, Bibare Cell, Perfect Water Ltd in Kimironko sector in Bibare Cells, and SIP Kicukiro Ltd Kicukiro sector, Gasave Cell.
As a way forward Rwanda FDA said it has ordered the companies to remove all related water batches released on market and advised the public to take note of the notice and find the alternative options available on the market.
According to Rwanda FDA officials, some of the suspended companies were still in the process of getting a license while others were already licensed but were found wanting in terms of standards.
Commenting on the way forward, officials said that the companies will have to fix the issues which had triggered the suspension and apply for licenses to re-operate.
However, officials did not provide enough explanations and information on the fate of the mother companies of some franchisees such as Jibu and AQUA among others, and how they are regulated.
The New Times has learned that the suspension has affected the entire company’s reputation.
For instance, Jibu Corporate (RW) Ltd released a statement apologizing to their customers for the inconvenience and assuring them to fix the issues alongside the Rwanda FDA for better quality.