Tanzania parliamentary committee demands police station at Mkulazi factory
Mkulazi Sugar Factory manager Aron Mwaigaga (left) explains the factory’s production activities to members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Industries, Trade, Agriculture and Livestock during their visit to assess production. PHOTO | HAMIDA SHARIFF
Morogoro. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Industry, Trade, Agriculture and Livestock has directed the management of Mkulazi Sugar Factory and the Sugar Board of Tanzania (SBT) to construct a police station at the facility to strengthen security for the investment and surrounding communities.
Speaking on behalf of committee members visiting the factory on Sunday, September 6, 2026, Vice Chairperson, Ms Mariam Ditopile, expressed satisfaction with production progress, but stressed that security must be prioritised.
She noted that establishing a police station near the factory is crucial given the massive scale of investment and its strategic role in boosting national sugar production.
The committee also urged the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Works, and the Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (Tarura) to upgrade feeder roads connecting smallholder outgrowers to the factory.
"Improved roads will ease transport of sugarcane, seeds and farm inputs from fields to the factory, thereby enhancing smallholder productivity," said Ms Ditopile.
She emphasised that while production remains steady, greater creative branding is required to boost the market visibility of Mkulazi sugar.
"The factory is performing well, and demand exists, but the product lacks sufficient visibility; management and the Sugar Board must innovate their marketing," she noted.
Agriculture Deputy Permanent Secretary, Mr Athumani Kilundumya, acknowledged that constructing a police post on-site is an urgent priority.
"Reports confirm significant distance to the nearest station, making an on-site post vital to safeguard operations, staff and surrounding residents," said Mr Kilundumya.
He stated that the government and shareholders have invested over Sh354 billion in the factory, plantations and supporting infrastructure, requiring rigorous security safeguards.
Consequently, he directed the SBT Director General to collaborate with factory management to establish an execution framework.
SBT Director General, Prof Kenneth Bengesi, pledged to address all parliamentary recommendations to elevate operational efficiency and maximise socio-economic benefits.
Prof Bengesi added that Mkulazi Sugar Factory remains central to national efforts aimed at eliminating the domestic sugar deficit for household and industrial consumption.
Presenting the progress report, Mkulazi CEO, Ms Selestina Some, noted that the holding company was established on September 6, 2016, to plug the national sugar deficit.
She stated that the venture is co-owned by the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) at 96 percent and the Tanzania Prisons Service (TPS) at four percent, managing plantations alongside the factory at Mbigiri in Kilosa District.
