Victory For Farmers As IGP Directs Immediate Return Of Seized Weighbridges

By Swift Reporter 

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Abas Byakagaba, has officially rescinded earlier directives that had led to the removal and confiscation of roadside weighbridges belonging to sugarcane farmers and private operators in Masindi District, signaling yet another dramatic twist in the long-running and politically charged sugar industry war.

In a letter dated May 28, 2026, addressed to the Regional Police Commander for Albertine North, the IGP ordered the “immediate return of weighbridges in police custody at Masindi Police Station to their respective owners.”

The communication, signed by Okoshi Simon Peter on behalf of the IGP, instructed police commanders to immediately hand over all four weighbridges that had earlier been seized by officials from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives from various locations within Masindi District.

“You are hereby instructed to immediately hand over all the four (04) weighbridges that were removed by officials from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives from various locations within Masindi District back to their respective owners,” the letter reads in part.

The police further distanced itself from the ongoing controversy surrounding the positioning and operation of weighbridges, clarifying that the force has “no mandate in determining the location of weighbridges; either in Masindi District or any other part of the country.”
In our earlier reports, we had indicated reports of Police having been accused by sections of farmers in Masindi, the RDCs office and other local leaders of having been allegedly compromised by some powerful stakeholders in the sugar industry.

The directive follows mounting pressure from Parliament, line ministers and key stakeholders in the sugar sector, who recently ordered that the confiscated weighbridges be reinstated and returned to their owners after concerns emerged that the operation disproportionately targeted smallholder farmers and local sugarcane dealers.

Background To The Sugar Weighbridge War

The weighbridge conflict has for months dominated political and economic discussions in the Bunyoro sub-region, particularly in Masindi and Kiryandongo districts, where sugarcane farming remains a major economic activity.

The dispute initially erupted after allegations surfaced that several roadside weighbridges were being manipulated by middlemen and private operators to exploit sugarcane farmers through inaccurate measurements and pricing distortions. Government agencies argued that the proliferation of unregulated weighbridges was fueling chaos within the sugar value chain.

In response, former Internal Affairs Minister Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire, together with the IGP, reportedly backed enforcement operations aimed at removing the controversial roadside weighing stations. Security agencies and officials from the Ministry of Trade subsequently launched crackdowns that resulted in several weighbridges being confiscated and placed under police custody.

However, the move triggered fierce resistance from farmers, transporters and local leaders, who accused authorities of unfairly victimizing poor rural communities while protecting large sugar millers and politically connected business interests.

Critics argued that the roadside weighbridges served as the only independent mechanism through which farmers could verify the tonnage of their sugarcane before delivery to factories, thereby protecting them from alleged exploitation by mill weighbridge systems.

The matter eventually attracted parliamentary attention, with legislators demanding explanations from government over what they described as arbitrary confiscations and economic sabotage against vulnerable farmers.

Several ministers and district stakeholders later pushed for dialogue and recommended that the confiscated weighbridges be returned pending the establishment of clear regulatory frameworks governing their operation.

The latest police directive now appears to confirm a significant policy reversal by security authorities, effectively distancing the Uganda Police Force from the contentious enforcement campaign.

Observers say the development is likely to intensify ongoing tensions between sugar industry players, regulators and local political actors as debates continue over control, regulation and transparency within Uganda’s lucrative sugarcane trade.