Luwero maize traders have returned to PRO Industries Limited in Ndibuluungi, demanding payment of about UGX 2.6 billion for maize they claim to have supplied to the company, despite a court order restricting their access to the factory.
The traders have parked their trucks at the factory entrance, protesting what they describe as non-payment for hundreds of tonnes of maize delivered to the company. They say they will not leave the premises until the payment dispute is resolved.
The development comes amid a legal dispute between the traders and PRO Industries, with the High Court in Luwero having issued an interim order restraining the traders from trespassing on or interfering with the company’s operations.
The order, issued by High Court judge Godfrey Himbaza, bars Lim Welo General Stores, its director Isma Mubiru, their agents, employees and anyone acting on their instructions from accessing or obstructing PRO Industries’ premises pending the hearing of the case.
Despite the order, the traders have returned to the factory, insisting that their demand for payment must be addressed.
They maintain that they supplied hundreds of tonnes of maize to PRO Industries but have not received payment amounting to about UGX 2.6 billion.
PRO Industries, however, has rejected the claim, saying a review of the supplier’s records found what it described as material discrepancies and inflated figures.
The company has also accused some individuals of threatening and pressuring its weighbridge staff in an alleged attempt to manipulate records used to establish the quantities of maize delivered and the amount payable.
“Our review identified inflated figures in the supplier’s statement, and we have received evidence concerning threats made to our weighbridge personnel in an attempt to manipulate records,” Vasundhara Oswal, the founder and executive director of PRO Industries, said.
The traders have rejected the allegations, describing them as false and insisting that they are entitled to payment for the maize they supplied.
PRO Industries says it had previously invited the supplier for reconciliation meetings in an attempt to resolve the dispute.
According to the company, it proposed that 50 per cent of any undisputed amount be paid immediately, with the balance settled after the reconciliation process.
However, the company maintains that no legitimate outstanding amount has been established as payable.
It says it will not make payments based on records it considers to have been inflated or manipulated.
“If somebody has a genuine claim, they should prove it through genuine records,” Oswal said. “We will always pay what is legitimately due, but we will never knowingly pay against inflated, fraudulent or manipulated records.”
The traders, however, continue to dispute the company’s position and have vowed to maintain their protest until their claim is addressed.
The standoff has left the two sides at odds, with the traders demanding payment while PRO Industries insists that any amount owed must first be established through a proper reconciliation of delivery records.
The dispute is now before the courts, with the traders’ continued presence at the factory raising questions over compliance with the interim order issued by the High Court.
