Counterfeit Ladies Shoes at an Increase in Uganda

Ugandan Women on the outcry due to the high rate of counterfeit shoes all over the market

By Immaculate Tumusiime on July 2, 2019

It is so sad that when a lady here in Uganda thinks of buying a new pair of shoe the worry is not about the money to buy it but the place where to find a durable one. This is not because there are few selling points but where and how to locate the good ones.

I have for several times been conned by shoe dealers and one time on the fateful day I met a lady boarding a taxi to Mutungo where I was also going. This lady was barefooted and when I asked her the reason she was so bitter as she explained how the heels of her new shoes had broken in the middle of the journey . Maria Nabukeera (not real names) said that she had bought the pair from Nabukeera Plaza opposite New Taxi Park in Kampala two days before. She sounded so disappointed because the seller had charged her highly telling her it was original.

 

Unfortunately both of us had fallen victims of the similar problem and for my case it was numerous times. This made me get concerned about what ladies are going through when it comes to acquiring new shoes.

Most Ugandans have a vague or no clue on how to check for the quality and durability of a product especially shoes. If some don’t mind the expiry date on edibles, how can they care about acquiring skills to separate good quality from bad quality shoes?

Sometimes people reach home only to find that the pair of shoes they have just bought is for the same leg. That is , can be won on the same side for example right leg.

The Daily Monitor on June 2, 2018 published an article on the rising cases of substandard products on the market. This was published due to public outcry and need for Government intervention.

I therefore call upon the Government and more especially Uganda National Bureau of Standards to help us on ensuring that ladies’ shoes on the market meet the standards to save us the embarrassment and disappointment and more so to get value for money