By Our Reporter
Sugarcane farmers in Masindi District have taken their dispute with government authorities to court, challenging the controversial removal of roadside sugarcane weighbridges and demanding their immediate reinstatement, along with compensation for losses incurred during the suspension.
The legal action follows a tense stakeholders meeting held on Tuesday last week and chaired by Masindi Resident District Commissioner Darius Nandinda, which ended without consensus. The farmers, expressing frustration over what they described as deliberate delays and deviation from earlier resolutions, have also threatened to stage peaceful protests if their concerns are not urgently addressed.
The standoff comes despite a directive issued last week by the State Minister for Cooperatives, Gen Wilson Mbasu Mbadi, ordering the reinstatement of the farmers’ weighbridges. During a meeting in Kampala, stakeholders reportedly agreed that the weighbridges would resume operations under two key conditions.
First, RDC Nandinda, as head of security in the district, was tasked with convening stakeholders to agree on suitable locations for the weighbridges to ensure proper monitoring and security oversight. Second, it was resolved that the weighbridges would strictly be used for weighing, while all payment-related transactions would be handled separately at designated offices rather than at the weighbridge sites.
However, farmers now accuse the RDC of redirecting the Masindi meeting into discussions they say had already been conclusively handled in Kampala, instead of focusing solely on identifying appropriate locations for reinstatement.
According to several farmer representatives, the meeting veered into broader operational and regulatory matters, which they argue amounts to an attempt to dilute or frustrate the minister’s directive.
“We went to the meeting expecting to agree on locations as instructed by the minister. Instead, the discussion was dragged back to issues that had already been resolved,” one farmer leader said.
The farmers contend that the continued delay in reinstating the weighbridges has caused financial hardship, citing increased transportation costs, alleged under-weighing at factory-based facilities, and diminished bargaining power.
In a new development, RDC Nandinda has summoned only two major millers, Kinyara Sugar Limited and Victoria Sugar, for a follow-up meeting scheduled for tomorrow to deliberate on operational modalities.
The exclusion of farmer representatives from the summons has further heightened tensions, with farmers questioning whether decisions directly affecting them are being negotiated without their involvement.
“We are the primary stakeholders. Any operational modalities must include us,” another farmer stated, warning that peaceful demonstrations remain an option if the minister’s guidance is not implemented.
The court case adds a significant legal dimension to the dispute and could test the scope of ministerial authority in relation to district security leadership and regulatory enforcement.
Legal observers note that if the court grants interim orders in favor of the farmers, authorities could be required to restore the weighbridges pending final determination of the case.
As the district awaits the outcome of the meeting between the RDC and the millers, attention remains focused on whether dialogue will yield a resolution or whether the dispute will escalate into a prolonged legal and economic battle.
This publication will continue to follow developments as they unfold.
