Government has shut down several roadside weighbridges in Masindi District and the wider Bunyoro sub-region after investigations found they were the main routes through which stolen sugarcane was entering the formal market.
The closures followed a joint probe by police and officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which confirmed that organized theft rings were harvesting cane from estates and outgrower fields, then selling it through weighbridges as legitimate produce.
“We took action in compliance with a ministerial directive issued last year,” Trade Commissioner David Kiiza said on Friday. “All weighbridges that were facilitating theft have now been removed.”
According to investigators, the theft networks targeted mature cane, especially at night, before transporting it to roadside weighing points. Once weighed and issued with tickets, the cane was sold into the formal supply chain, making it difficult for millers and authorities to detect its origin.
The extent of the problem came to light after police recovered 24 tonnes of sugarcane stolen from Kinyara Sugar Ltd’s Kingo No. 6 field in Masindi. The consignment had been loaded onto contractor truck UBA 886R/KCV-456 but never reached the factory.
Kinyara’s Public Relations Officer, Francis Mugerwa, said the theft was detected when the same driver returned the next morning to pick another loading docket.
“Our team discovered the truck had not delivered the cane. Security intervened, but the driver fled. We arrested two loaders who led us to the weighbridge,” Mugerwa said.
Police confirmed the recovered cane weighed 24 tonnes and matched the missing consignment.
“The case is under police investigations and efforts are underway to ensure that the prime suspect is arrested and prosecuted,” said ASP Joseph Karwani, the Masindi District CID officer.
Authorities say the weighbridges had become key transaction points for illegal cane trade, costing farmers and processors billions of shillings each year.
Uganda’s sugar industry contributes between 5–7 percent of GDP, generates Shs350–550 billion in annual tax revenue, and supports more than 135,000 jobs. Officials say the closure of rogue weighbridges is intended to restore order in the sector and protect farmers from organized theft networks.
