Goodwill Ceramic Company Limited has dismissed social media allegations questioning the quality and regulatory compliance of its products, describing the claims as false and defamatory.
Speaking at a press conference, David Mawejje, the company’s Administrative Manager, presented what it described as the facts surrounding the allegations and reassured its customers, partners and other stakeholders.
Goodwill Ceramic is located at Kapeka Town in Nakaseke District’s Liao-Shen Industrial Park. The company was registered in 2017 and started production in 2018, with its commissioning ceremony presided over by President Yoweri Museveni.
Mawejje said the company was established as part of Uganda’s industrialisation drive, with a mission of reducing the country’s dependence on imported tiles and promoting locally manufactured products.
He said more than 90 per cent of the company’s raw materials are sourced locally, adding that Goodwill’s products are sold across Uganda and exported to neighbouring countries, including South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to Mawejje, the company directly employs more than 1,300 Ugandans, while another 2,000 people benefit indirectly through activities linked to production, quality control, sales and administration.
He said a Chinese technical team provides technical support and training to Ugandan workers.
Mawejje further rejected said that Goodwill Ceramic is an agent of an overseas brand, insisting that the company is a Uganda-registered, Uganda-based manufacturing and taxpaying business.
On the allegations circulating on social media, Mawejje said all Goodwill Ceramic products have official certification from the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) and comply with the applicable requirements.
He described claims that the company had problems with UNBS certification as fabricated and malicious.
“The company is fully compliant and can withstand any official inspection and market verification,” Mawejje said.
He also denied claims that UNBS or the Ministry of Health had declared Goodwill products non-compliant, saying the company considers such allegations a deliberate attempt to mislead the public by invoking the names of government institutions.
According to Mawejje, the company believes the controversy is linked to what it characterised as unfair competition from unnamed market players.
He alleged that some competitors had resorted to misinformation after failing to compete with Goodwill on product quality, pricing and service.
However, the company did not publicly identify the individuals or businesses it suspects of being behind the alleged campaign.
Mawejje said Goodwill Ceramic had reported the matter to police and that investigations were underway to establish the source of the information and identify those responsible.
He said the company intends to pursue legal action against individuals found to have fabricated or disseminated false information about its products or falsely attributed statements to government agencies.
Mawejje said the company would continue prioritising production safety, regulatory compliance, employee welfare and corporate social responsibility.
He appealed to the government, consumers, business partners and the media to verify information before publishing or sharing allegations concerning the company.
He argued that protecting legitimate local manufacturers was important to Uganda’s efforts to promote domestic production, employment, tax revenue and industrialisation.
Goodwill Ceramic said it remains committed to manufacturing tiles locally and expanding its contribution to Uganda’s industrial sector.
