A Ugandan investor has petitioned the Rwandan Embassy in Kampala, expressing concern over the rapid proliferation of counterfeit versions of his beer brand transiting through Rwanda en route to Goma and Bukavu in eastern DR Congo.
In his letter dated November 12, 2025, Mathias Mulumba, the spokesperson of Agro Value Limited, a Ugandan company, said that opportunistic people in the DR Congo counterfeit there Rambo Beer Brand before selling it.
The Ugandan company is, therefore, seeking the intervention of the Rwandan authorities to stop the infringement of their trademark.
According to Mulumba, some unscrupulous people started imitating the Rambo Beer brand shortly after stability returned to the region. The original beer is produced in Ukraine and copyrighted internationally.
Agro Value Limited has addressed a letter to the Rwandan Embassy, with copies sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The petition was received by the Ministry on the same day (November 12).
“These groups are reportedly producing counterfeit versions of our popular beer and importing very low-quality version in large quantities,” he stated.
The petitioner noted that Rambo Beer is a registered trademark in the US, European Union member states, DR Congo, South Sudan, and Uganda, and has been developed over more than a decade.
THE PETITIONER SAID SEVERAL BUSINESS OPERATORS BASED IN GOMA, DR CONGO, INCLUDING MARASHI MUPONDO, BOUTIQUES VICTOIRE, IMMACULÉE BOUTIQUE, AND SUPER CHIC, CONTACTED AN INTERMEDIARY AT A FOOD STORE IN CHINA TO HAVE COUNTERFEIT BEER PRODUCED THERE BEFORE IT CAN BE SOLD IN THE EAST AFRICAN REGION.
To deceive consumers, the petitioner noted that the packaging of the beer in China is about 70% similar to the original brand.
Investigations have since revealed that the duplicate Rambo 9.5% from China is all being stored in Gisenyi, Rwanda in warehouses and then sold into Goma and Bukavu. They are specifically stored in Magerwa Warehouse, Bora Uzima and Magerwa Grand Barrien.
The petitioner stated that the counterfeit beer is sold in Goma and Bukavu at low prices, facilitated by customs misdeclaration, including falsely labeling the product as sugar.
The petition further indicated that the product is substandard and contains ethanol, used to artificially increase its alcohol content.
According to the petitioner, the use of ethanol for this purpose is prohibited in the East African region, European Union and China.
Mulumba explained that a proper beer requires barley, malt, hops, and yeast.
“Instead, the fake beer has a pale, urine-like colour, an unpleasant taste, a strange odour, and a noticeably low alcohol content. The presence of ethanol makes the counterfeit beer unfit for human consumption. How is such a product entering GOMA and BUKAVU in DR Congo and being sold in large quantities across the market?” he wondered.
The Rambo duplicate is being sold at $16.50 per carton of 24 pieces, size 500ml, a ridiculously low price.
The Agro Value Limited sales manager, noted that consumers are dissatisfied with the counterfeit product because the pricing is low compared to the genuine brands that is why its purchasing power is high.
To further mislead buyers, the counterfeiters are now upgrading the outer cartons to create exact replicas of the original packaging.
“The beer is substandard, adulterated, and cheaply produced. It poses health risks to the consumers,” he said.
The duplication of beer tantamounts to international trade infringement. As a result, he said the perpetrators are involved in customs undervaluation and misdeclarations, causing governments in the region losses in taxes.
He noted that the legitimate trademark owner, Agro Value, has engaged lawyers in China. The company has also contacted the Chinese Embassy in Uganda, and submitted a comprehensive report several weeks ago with supporting documents to the Administrative Offices in Goma and Bukavu seeking their intervention.
“This counterfeit beer must be seized and destroyed to prevent further financial loss and deter future duplication,” Mutyaba said, adding that they are seeking the intervention of authorities to have the fraudulent importers arrested and prosecuted. “Without firm legal consequences, the perpetrators are likely to repeat these offences,” Mutyaba warned.
The fake beer;
He said local authorities in Goma can easily identify the counterfeit beer by pouring it into a glass, arguing that its colour, odour, and taste resemble URINE.
MUTYABA ALLEGED THAT A SECOND CASE OF DUPLICATION WAS ORGANISED IN GOMA BY A ONE KAMBALE KAVISWA OF MUPINI BUSINESS CENTER, IN COLLABORATION WITH AN UNNAMED CONTACT IN DUBAI AND SHIPPED FROM GUBERNIJA IN LITHUANIA.
“Although the quality of this beer was normal, it still constitutes a clear case of international trademark infringement, compounded by customs misdeclaration in which the beer was falsely declared as sugar,” he said.
