Masindi district council has approved the relocation of roadside weighbridges as part of efforts to streamline the sugarcane trade and curb rising cases of cane theft in the district.Earlier, on February 13, the ministry of Trade, following a recommendation by the Internal Affairs minister, ordered the closure of four roadside weighbridges in Katuugo, Rukondwa, Kihande and Mirya, in an operation backed by the Uganda Police Force.During a council sitting on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, presided over by district speaker Moses Kiirya, councillors resolved that weighbridges should be relocated from their current locations to areas outside the main sugarcane growing zones.Moving the motion, district secretary for production and trade Geoffrey Bigabwa proposed that roadside weighbridges be relocated to designated areas along highways leading to the respective sugar factories, in line with existing laws.However, workers’ representative in the council, Denis Tumwine moved an amendment, arguing that the relocation should strictly comply with national sugar regulations.“Honourable speaker, let us move an amendment that the location of the weighbridges be in line with sugar regulations and the Sugar Act. Our recommendations shouldn’t contravene them,” Tumwine said.Masindi district chairperson Cosmas Byaruhanga supported the amendment and cited Section 26 (2) of the sugar regulations as the key legal provision council should consider when determining the new locations.Section 26 (2) of the Sugar Regulations states: “The weighing of sugar cane shall be carried out at the licensed premises of the licensed person.”“We don’t want someone to come and buy cane through a middle person and again sell it to the sugar company because a farmer loses a lot of money along this process. Established factories always give cash top ups to the farmers at the end financial year and this means a farmer will have lost it. Sugar cane should be sold direct to the miller, from the farmer’s garden,” said Byaruhanga.John Kisarach, the district councilor representing Kyatiri Town Council, said middlemen operating at weighbridges deny farmers rightful earnings.“If a farmer is to benefit from sugar cane growing, middlemen at the weigh bridges should be completely eliminated because they enjoy money which would have been profits for farmers,” he said, adding that selling cane directly from farmers’ gardens to millers would ensure better returns for growers.Council also adopted several additional recommendations aimed at regulating the sugarcane trade. These include requiring vehicles transporting cane to be labelled with the names of sugar companies, banning the transportation of sugarcane using tuk-tuks, boda bodas and pickups, and establishing a database capturing farmers’ acreage for companies operating in Masindi district.Other measures require non-contracted farmers transporting cane to obtain a letter from the LC I chairperson of the village where the cane was harvested, while all farmers are encouraged to sell directly to licensed companies without involving middlemen. Council also banned the loading and offloading of sugarcane along main roads.According to Kiirya, the resolutions were prompted by increasing cases of sugarcane theft in the district, with council seeking to restore order in the sector.Zam Nsubuga, the councillor representing Labongo sub-county, welcomed the recommendations, revealing that she had personally fallen victim to cane theft.She said thieves stole her cane shortly after she harvested it.Government’s earlier decision to close the weighbridges followed police investigations commissioned by the Internal Affairs minister, which linked the facilities to the growing incidents of sugarcane theft.On February 17, 2026, the state minister for Trade, Gen Wilson Mbadi, held a consultative meeting between sugar millers and leaders of the Bunyoro Sugarcane Farmers Cooperative Union. However, stakeholders failed to agree on the appropriate location of weighbridges.The minister subsequently directed the Masindi Resident District Commissioner (RDC) to convene meetings of the district security committee together with millers and cooperative union leaders to harmonize positions on the relocation.Meetings held on February 24 and 26 resolved that the weighbridges could be relocated to Mijeera and Nakitoma in Nakasongola district, or to Kafu in Kimengo sub-county in Masindi district.Both the proposals from sugar industry stakeholders and the district council’s resolutions will now be forwarded to the minister of Trade for consideration and further guidance.“The minute extract from the district council be given to the district chairperson for submission to the minister of trade by Thursday,” Kiirya said while announcing the council resolutions.He added that sugar companies operating in Masindi must formally register with the district to establish a working relationship with local authorities. Kiirya also emphasized that weighbridges should only be owned and operated by licensed sugar companies.“We should completely eliminate middlemen at weigh bridges,” he said.He noted that some sugar millers have been operating in the district without formal arrangements with local authorities.“Sugar millers come to the district and operate without any binding working arrangement with the district whereby they simply collect sugarcane from farmers and go, leaving the district to grapple with the effects of the sugarcane business,” Kiirya said.“We have resolved that all millers should have a working framework with the district and submit their registered fields, farmers and corporate social responsibility programs. We have ended the business of some millers coming to pick raw materials without any formal working relationship with the district.”The post Sugarcane theft: Masindi district council approves relocation of weigh bridges appeared first on The Observer.