By KT Reporter
The High Court in Luwero District has ordered Victoria Sugar Limited, an Indian-owned company, to reopen access roads it had blocked, denying passage to Ammars Agro Limited, an Eritrean-owned agribusiness operating in the same area.A dispute erupted in August of this year between the two companies after Victoria Sugar Limited allegedly dug trenches to block access roads leading to Ammars Agro farms in Kibaaga Village, Butuntumula Sub-County.
Ammars Agro manages 170 acres of pineapples, 50 acres of bananas, and 180 acres of maize on plots 2 and 3, block 756, while Victoria Sugar operates 54 hectares of sugarcane on block 769, plots 4 and 6, in the same sub-county. Victoria Sugar accused Ammars Agro of exposing its sugarcane plantations to fire outbreaks and failing to manage its access routes. The blockade left Ammars Agro stranded with agricultural produce, forcing the company to reopen the roads with support from district leaders.
In October, Victoria Sugar filed a civil suit seeking an injunction restraining Ammars Agro from reopening the access roads, accusing the Eritrean investor of trespassing on its land and degrading property by installing culverts. The company also demanded that Ammars Agro pay general damages amounting to 500 million shillings.
However, in her ruling, Lady Justice Faridah Shamilah Bukirwa Ntambi dismissed the application, stating that Victoria Sugar Limited had failed to meet the legal threshold for the injunction and instead granted access rights to Ammars Agro Limited. “I must state the actions of the applicant (Victoria Sugar Limited) go beyond the assertion of proprietary as they cause economic hardships and disrupt long established state of access that existed for years. Equity demands that such conduct should not be rewarded through judicial sanctions,” Justice Bukirwa ruled.
Justice Bukirwa further ordered Victoria Sugar Limited to cease all actions that block access roads and declined to award it costs. “Further, I caution the respondent (Ammars Agro Limited) to exercise care and desist from any acts that may interfere with the applicant’s property while using the access road,” the ruling added. On November 27, 2025, Luwero District Police Commander Brighton Ahimbisamukama invited both parties to witness the execution of the court order at the disputed access points.
Victoria Sugar Limited did not send any representative, and the reopening proceeded in their absence, supervised by officers from Luwero Central Police Station. Petros Fissahaye, Director of Ammars Agro Limited, expressed relief after the roads were reopened. “It’s sad that a company works so hard to fail another. Earlier on, we petitioned the government ministries and the office of the Resident District Commissioner, asking for help, but the company disregarded the directive. We pray they will respect the court orders,” Fissahaye said.
The ruling is expected to ease tensions in Butuntumula, where farmers and local leaders have raised concerns about economic sabotage arising from investor conflicts.
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