Uganda’s refugees’ management commitment faces its most trying time yet.
Intensified violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and civil war drums in South Sudan means the region is not about to stop producing people fleeing for safety. Uganda continues to be a safe bet for them.
Last year, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recorded an average of 13,000 new arrivals per month, nearly similar levels seen in 2023.
Coming on the heels of dwindling financial support, the departure of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) raises critical questions on how further Uganda can go in her continuous benevolent gesture to host many refugees seeking safety.
The situation was already bleak. In April 2020, universal rations were reduced to 70 per cent of a minimum survival basket, equating to approximately $6.90 per person per month. This was further decreased in December 2022 to roughly $5.90 per person per month.
Today, more than 80 per cent of the refugee population receives around $3.70 per person per month, an indicator of the growing strain on the country’s refugee model. Chronic funding shortfalls, exemplified by the Uganda Country Refugee Response Plan (UCRRP) receiving only 44 per cent of its $857.9 million funding appeal in 2024, are set to become worse.
The USA, through the now-defunct USAID, supported a significant bunch of activities that made hosting refugees in Uganda less cumbersome. Dozens of community-based organisations that worked in refugee settlements — from skills training, psycho-social support and environmental support for regeneration of the deforested areas — received small grants from USAID.
Last December, the agency announced an award of $800,000 (about Shs 3bn) in grants to private companies and community-based organisations working in refugee settlements and host communities in Isingiro and Lamwo districts.
Other 47 selected community-based groups were set to receive equipment and machinery and target refugee-led businesses, Village Savings and Loan Associations groups, local artisans, farmer cooperatives, and enterprises.
This support is effectively rescinded. Yet the biggest dent is to be felt as support for the UN World Food Programme (WFP) dries up. Much of the food give-outs to refugees through WFP were supported by USAID.
In its own reporting, WFP said USAID’s total support for refugees in Uganda reached nearly $83 million since 2023. This funding is now gone. The Global Journal, a news organisation, raised an alarm in February, noting that the USA ending support means refugees in Uganda lose food, job training, and health.
Uganda’s progressive refugee policies, established under the Refugee Act of 2006 and Refugee Regulations of 2010, have received international acclaim. The refugees usually have access to land, the right to work, freedom of movement, and integrates them into national systems like healthcare and education.
International support, especially from the USA, gave us a leg up. While there is still some support coming through from the European Union and other countries, there is going to be a strain on refugee management services in the country.
The international community is now pre-occupied with many crises — from Ukraine, Syria to Gaza. As conflicts in DRC, Sudan, and South Sudan deepen again, the likely heightened influx will further overstretch resources, including land, water, schools, and healthcare facilities, exposing the limitations of the self-reliance model.
Regional collaboration, and international action are necessary to address the root causes of displacement and sustain Uganda’s model. Amplifying calls for sharing burdens through global forums and donor engagement could reignite commitments to funding.
More than ever, the sustainability of Uganda’s refugees’ management is on the cliff. The international community must move beyond praise in 2025 and fulfil its pledges by providing the necessary resources to support Uganda’s efforts.
The writer is a research fellow at EPRC, Makerere University