How charcoal dealers use water to cheat you

Sacks of charcoal soaked in water to double their weight
Kamuli – It is in the nature of most charcoal buyers to consider weight as a quality-determinant.

Having studied this mindset, dealers in Kamuli have employed various tricks to sell poor-quality charcoal to weight-watching customers. One of the tricks is dipping. Bags of charcoal are plunged into stagnant water for up to five days, which gives them false weight. As the bags soak in the water, one or two people keep watch, to prevent thefts.

According to Shaban Kakaire, a lorry driver and charcoal dealer, a bag of charcoal costs Shs 10,000, but dealers can sell it for between Shs 30,000 and 40,000 in Jinja or Kampala, depending on its weight. While Kampala offers better prices, the market is not as readily available as in the Jinja-based industries, which buy in kilograms and pay cash.

A visit to industries in Masese, Jinja, seemed to confirm the reported high demand for firewood and charcoal. At BIDCO industry, entry is prohibited to non-staff; however workers at Pramukh Polybag Ltd say a kilo of charcoal goes for 320 shillings, paid on delivery. According to Kakaire, a normal sack of charcoal weighs about 60kg, but with soaking, this soars to 130kg.

Other dirty tricks employed by charcoal dealers include mixing substandard charcoal with bigger pieces, which are placed at the top to attract unsuspecting clients.

It is widely believed that charcoal dealers are never sincere; even when the charcoal was made out of a mango tree, many always say it came from a Mvule or mahogany tree.