Masindi shuts down weighbridges tied to sugarcane theft ring

Shutting down rogue weighbridges just wrecked a sugarcane theft pipeline in Masindi District, and the damage trail runs from farm plots straight into the national economy.

Weighbridge crackdown in Masindi District

• David Kiiza confirmed the government pulled multiple roadside scales offline.
• Police and the Ministry of Internal Affairs exposed a cane laundering route.
• Stolen loads got weighed and slipped into the formal market.
• Authorities warned that any complicit site risks permanent closure and charges.

How the cane theft pipeline worked

• Investigators mapped organized rings targeting mature cane at night.
• Estates and outgrower farms kept getting raided by coordinated crews.
• Those hauls moved to roadside weighbridges for fake paperwork cover.
• From there, the crop blended into legit trade without raising alarms.

Kinyara Sugar Ltd hit with 24-ton diversion

• Kinyara Sugar Ltd lost 24 tonnes from the Kingo No. 6 field.
• Contractor truck UBA 886R/KCV-456 never reached the factory.
• Francis Mugerwa said suspicion flared when the driver sought another docket.
• Security teams detained two loaders while the driver took off.

Police probe and industry stakes

• ASP Joseph Karwani said detectives are tracking the prime suspect.
• Officers verified that the recovered 24 tonnes matched the missing shipment.
• Uganda’s sugar sector drives 5–7 percent of GDP.
• Industry tax revenue lands between Shs 350 billion and Shs 550 billion annually.