Climate Change: Govt seeks sh75b to tackle damage, losses

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The Government is seeking up to $20 million (about sh75.3 billion) from the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) to support communities affected by climate-related disasters across Uganda, the Ministry of Water and Environment has revealed.

Speaking during a national workshop on loss and damage held at the Ministry of Water and Environment headquarters in Luzira, Kampala, Bob Natifu, the Acting Commissioner for the Climate Change Department, said Uganda is positioning itself to access the new global climate financing mechanism aimed at supporting countries suffering irreversible climate impacts.

Natifu said Uganda’s proposal is intended to address the growing burden of climate-induced disasters, including floods, droughts, landslides, infrastructure destruction and displacement of communities.

“We are using this opportunity to respond to a call by FRLD, which requires countries to apply for grant funding of up to $20 million (about sh75.3 billion),” Natifu said.

He noted that although the amount may appear small compared to the scale of climate destruction, it presents an important opportunity for Uganda to build resilience among vulnerable communities.

“For us, this is very central because with loss and damage, we are also addressing economic and non-economic losses and several other elements that communities continue to suffer because of climate change,” he added.

The workshop brought together government officials, engineers, climate experts and development partners to discuss Uganda’s concept proposal and how it can be aligned with national priorities.

Natifu said climate risks continue to threaten infrastructure, freshwater resources, ecosystems and livelihoods across the country, forcing the government to rethink adaptation and resilience strategies.

“We face climate risks on a daily basis. The question is how do we manage those risks,” he said.

According to Natifu, adaptation interventions must operate at three levels; addressing climate hazards, reducing people’s exposure to danger and tackling vulnerability among affected populations.

He cited the Mt. Elgon region, which receives between 1,500mm and 3,000mm of rainfall annually, as one of the country’s most disaster-prone areas due to recurrent floods and landslides.

“When it rains heavily in Mt. Elgon, you are talking about controlling enormous volumes of water that destroy lives and livelihoods. That is where nature-based solutions and engineering solutions become necessary,” he explained.

He acknowledged that engineering interventions are often expensive but stressed that they remain part of the solution alongside environmental restoration approaches.

Natifu also referenced previous government efforts to relocate communities from high-risk areas such as Bududa to safer areas, including Bulambuli, Karamoja and Kiryandongo.

“That movement can partly be seen as a response, although there are still questions about whether communities are settling properly and sustainably,” he noted.

He said Uganda is increasingly recognising the limits of adaptation as climate disasters intensify.

“However much we adapt, losses and damage will continue. That is why discussions around loss and damage are becoming central for many developing countries,” Natifu said.

He revealed that the government intends to incorporate measures such as cash transfers, livelihood improvement programmes and community resettlement support into the proposal.

Natifu also disclosed that Uganda’s earlier attempts to access international climate financing through the Green Climate Fund faced challenges, particularly around developing what donors termed a “climate rationale.”

“The comments we received were very hard, and people became discouraged, but perhaps we should have tried harder,” he said.

Climate change has become a growing concern in Uganda over the last three decades, with the country experiencing erratic rainfall patterns, prolonged droughts, destructive floods, landslides, thunderstorms, lightning, pest outbreaks and declining agricultural productivity. Effects of climate change threaten to reverse Uganda’s socio-economic gains under Vision 2040 and the National Development Plan.

The climate crisis first gained global attention during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, and scientists continue to warn that it remains one of the world’s greatest development challenges.

Speaking at the same workshop, Eng. Olweny Lamu, who represented the ministry’s Rural Water Supply and Sanitation department, said climate-related disasters are increasingly affecting freshwater resources, ecosystems and critical infrastructure, requiring urgent interventions.

“We are trying to put together something wholesome that will address tomorrow’s climate today,” Lamu said. He stressed the importance of balancing nature-based and engineering solutions while ensuring vulnerable populations are protected from future disasters.

Meanwhile, Sadie DeCoste, a climate researcher with the Loss and Damage Policy Institute (LDPI), welcomed Uganda’s efforts to prepare proposals under the newly established fund.

Based in the UK, the LDPI is a nonprofit organisation dedicated to supporting governments and stakeholders in designing and implementing effective climate loss and damage policies.

The LDPI was launched to address the growing financial, social, and environmental impacts of climate change, which already cause hundreds of billions of dollars in losses annually through hurricanes, droughts, floods, heatwaves, and fires.

DeCoste, who previously worked with youth advocacy groups campaigning for wealthy countries to finance loss and damage, described the establishment of the fund as historic.

“The Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage is something many of us thought we would never see because of the opposition from wealthy countries,” she said.

She noted that while the fund remains under-resourced compared to the scale of global climate destruction, it offers hope for frontline communities.

“I’m very interested in understanding how this funding can be translated into responses that actually reach people affected on the ground,” DeCoste added.

She called for stronger national coordination mechanisms, including the development of a national loss and damage strategy and an inter-ministerial coordination framework.