Sugarcane farmers in Masindi District have escalated their dispute with government authorities to court, challenging the controversial removal of roadside sugarcane weighbridges and demanding their immediate reinstatement alongside compensation for losses suffered during the suspension.
The legal action follows a tense stakeholders’ meeting held on Tuesday and chaired by Masindi Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Darius Nandinda, which ended without a consensus on the way forward. The farmers, frustrated by what they described as deliberate delays and deviation from prior resolutions, have also threatened to stage peaceful protests if their grievances are not urgently addressed.
Dispute Over Implementation Of Minister’s Directive
The standoff comes despite last week’s directive by the State Minister for Cooperatives, Gen Wilson Mbasu Mbadi, who ordered that the farmers’ weighbridges be reinstated. During a meeting in Kampala, stakeholders reportedly agreed that the weighbridges would resume operations, with 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 and not at the weighbridge sites.
However, farmers now accuse the RDC of steering the Masindi meeting into discussions they say had already been conclusively handled in Kampala, instead of focusing solely on identifying appropriate locations for the reinstated weighbridges.
According to several farmer representatives, the meeting veered into broader operational issues and regulatory concerns, which they argue amounts to an attempt to water down 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 told this publication.
The farmers contend that the delay in reinstating the weighbridges has subjected them to financial hardship, citing increased transportation costs, alleged under-weighing at factory-based facilities, and reduced bargaining power.
Summons To Millers Raises Further Concerns
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 affecting them are being negotiated without their direct involvement.
“We are the primary stakeholders. Any operational modalities must include us,” another farmer stated, warning that peaceful demonstrations remain on the table should government officials fail to implement the minister’s guidance.
Legal And Economic Implications
The court case now introduces a new dimension to the dispute, potentially testing the extent of ministerial authority vis-à-vis district security leadership and regulatory enforcement.
Legal experts observe that if the court grants interim orders in favour of the farmers, government authorities could be compelled to restore the weighbridges pending the final determination of the case.
As the district braces for tomorrow’s meeting between the RDC and the millers, all eyes remain fixed on whether dialogue will prevail or whether the conflict will further deepen into a protracted legal and economic standoff.
