Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has directed Internal Affairs Minister Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire to withdraw all police officers stationed at Masindi weighbridges following complaints from sugarcane farmers about disruptions to their trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This directive follows an earlier order by Trade Minister Francis Mwebesa to close two private weighbridges in Masindi, citing rising cases of sugarcane theft and poaching \u2014 allegations made by Kinyara Sugar Factory.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n On February 21, Mwebesa instructed ministry officials to shut down the weighbridges, claiming they had become hotspots for the illegal sugarcane trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr. Francis Mwebesa, confirmed the closures, citing ongoing theft in the Bunyoro Sub-region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, I shut down all those weighbridges because they were enabling rampant sugarcane theft in the area,\u201d<\/em> Mwebesa said in a phone interview over the weekend. \u201cThey were causing confusion. Sugarcane was being stolen from gardens at night and sold at these weighbridges,\u201d<\/em> he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Friday, ministry officials closed weighbridges operated by a certain farmers\u2019 associations, accusing them of facilitating illegal trade, theft, and cane poaching from legitimate sugar companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mwebesa said the decision was driven by repeated reports of stolen sugarcane being sold illegally to independent buyers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe closure is part of a broader strategy to protect the interests of legitimate farmers and millers. This is a necessary step to safeguard the industry,\u201d<\/em> he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The weighbridge closures come amid intensified security operations against sugarcane poaching. Last week, security personnel \u2014 including private guards, police, and UPDF officers \u2014 intercepted a lorry illegally loading sugarcane on Kinyara Sugar Ltd\u2019s estate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The vehicle, loaded with stolen sugarcane, was abandoned by the driver and loaders, who fled into the bush. Police later towed the truck to Kinyara Police Post for further investigation. One suspect, a boda boda rider, was arrested at the scene but was later released on police bond as investigations continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Masindi District Criminal Investigations Officer, Mr. Joseph Karwani, confirmed the ongoing probe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are investigating this matter thoroughly. These illegal activities have persisted for too long, and we are committed to ensuring the culprits are brought to justice,\u201d<\/em> Karwani stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Police investigations revealed that stolen canes are often transported using small trucks, tuk-tuks, and motorcycles before being weighed and sold at these stations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Counsel Simon Kasangaki who has represented multiple affected farmers in court highlighted the gravity of the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese weighbridges have been complicit in the illegal trade of sugarcane. Poachers cut cane from the interior of plantations, leaving the outer rows intact to deceive owners into believing their crops are safe,\u201d<\/em> he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He added that every tonne of stolen sugarcanes are sold outside official channels resulting to loss of revenue for both farmers and the government hence affecting the entire sugar industry\u2019s value chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the closures left many outgrowers stranded, with harvested cane drying up and losses mounting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In response to their outcry, Nabbanja issued a letter on February 25 instructing Otafiire to remove police from the weighbridges and allow farmers to resume their business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am in receipt of a petition from the sugarcane farmers under the Bunyoro Sugarcane Farmers Cooperative Union Limited, alleging disruptions and immense inconvenience caused by police interference in their transactions with sugar factories,\u201d<\/em> the prime minister wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She added that blocking sugarcane-loaded vehicles from accessing the weighbridges had resulted in \u201cunnecessary suffering and significant financial losses\u201d<\/em> for farmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nabbanja further instructed Otafiire to investigate the circumstances surrounding the closures and report back with findings and recommendations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hajj Muhamood Kazimbiraine, chairman of the Bunyoro Sugarcane Farmers Cooperative Union, criticized the decision to shut down the weighbridges without consulting farmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe had no engagement with the minister. How do you listen only to factories\u2019 claims of theft and poaching and then suspend our weighbridges without hearing our side? This is very improper,\u201d<\/em> Kazimbiraine said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He urged the government to streamline the sugarcane sector to prevent factory monopolies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe don\u2019t want factories controlling everything. The government should guide the sector to ensure there is a willing buyer and a willing seller. Thi<\/em>s <\/em>sugarcane is ours \u2014 how can factories dictate where we should sell? If there\u2019s theft, let the thieves be arrested,\u201d<\/em> he argued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following Nabbanja\u2019s intervention, police have since been withdrawn, and farmers can now transport their sugarcane to the weighbridges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As of now, a tonne of sugarcane is being sold at Shs135,000 at Victoria Sugar in Luweero, while most local factories offer Shs116,000 per tonne.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has directed Internal Affairs Minister Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire to withdraw all police officers stationed at Masindi weighbridges following complaints from sugarcane farmers about disruptions to their trade. This directive follows an earlier order by Trade Minister Francis Mwebesa to close two private weighbridges in Masindi, citing rising cases of sugarcane theft and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-government"],"yoast_head":"\n