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The government through the Office of the Prime Minister has appealed to development partners across the globe to support the ever-increasing number of refugees in the country.

Irene Abina, the Acting Regional Refugee Desk Officer of the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) in charge of South Western Region called upon relevant stakeholders like World Food Program (WFP) and the civil society for more funding towards refugees.

She made the call after over 1500 refugees from various refugee settlements in Uganda found their way to Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp hoping for better services.

The refugees (Onward movers) hoped to get better services, including education, livelihoods, medical facilitation, and other relief services.

“Now, following the actions of the onward movers, we ask the WFP and other development partners to render a hand and offer more support to refugees,” said Abina while visiting some of the refugee settlements in Southwestern Uganda.

According to reliable information, the refugees had moved to Kenya after WFP prioritized funding, a move, which led to the cutting of food rations in most of the refugee Settlements, including Kyangwali, Kyaka2, and Rwamwanja, among others. 

However, the refugees have so far returned to Uganda. 

Abina stressed that before, WFP used to support refugees 100 percent but the funds were cut from 100 percent to 60 percent, hence affecting most of the refugee operations in the country.

However, Abina said the government is not seated, and it has engaged National Agricultural Research Organization’s to give support to Kyaka II settlement in Kyegegwa district and Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement in Kamwenge district, which were greatly affected by the onward movement of the refugees.

“Having NARO would quickly deal with food shortages and create food security in the settlements. Because right now they have already given seeds to refugees, and some have already started harvesting food like beans in the period of 2 months and Cassava in 8 months plus other crops.”

She called on the livelihood partners to make use of NARO to access clean seeds for commodities that were needed among refugees.

Dr. Kenneth Akankwasa, Senior Research officer, of the project said that even with limited funds, the project had enabled refugees in Rwamwanja and Kyaka 2 to have food in a short period of time, which has enabled many to stay in their respective settlements because they wanted food security.

“It’s so rewarding to see women in the camp celebrating with food grown from their own fields. This project not only gives food to the refugees but also restores their faith in their efforts,” Akankwasa said.

He said NARO intervention would focus on beans, bananas, maize, sweet potato, cassava, and soybean.

He added that the work of seed multiplication of sweet potatoes and cassava would lead farmers to create a chain of the seed system of availing seed to other farmers in the settlement and in the host community, one beneficiary after another.

“In the period of 2-3 years from now, all refugees in Uganda from their respective settlements will be able to have food in their homes and also have more to take to the market.

He called upon funders UNHCR, WFP, and partners in the livelihood sector in the settlement like, Finchurch Aid, Save the Children, KRC, Hodari Foundation, JESE, Alight, ADRA Uganda, Peace Winds, AVSI, Heifer International, CARE, Live in Green, AHA as well representatives from the host community of Kyegegwa and Kamwenge district Local Government to continue to support these agriculture interventions.

David Mugenyi settlement commandant Kyaka 2 from the Office of the Prime Minister refugee department said they have conducted sensitization of refugees about the problems of moving from settlements to camps following the last one where almost 1500 left Uganda for Kenya.

“Some of the issues why these people left were because of financial support and food insecurity but these issues have been handled and now we’re focusing on education and health and on my side I will call for more support even in those two sectors,” said Mugenyi.

Alex Pajani, one of the onward movers (refugee) who went to Kenya from Kyaka 2 settlement Kyegegwa district revealed that when they reached Kakuma refugee camp things were not the same compared to Uganda, so they had to return to their respective settlements by the help of Uganda’s government.

“We heard from other friends from Kenya refugee camps that things were okay in Kenya so we planned and left without noticing our refugee settlements commandants but when things turned against us that’s when we remembered calling Uganda’s government through the prime minister’s office back in Uganda to pick us up with our family. We have tested it and we know how good it is to live in the settlement and the camp. Things are not the same, a big thanks to Uganda’s government," Said Pajani.

Refugee situation

Uganda hosts more than 1.6 million refugees in 13 districts. These are Kiryandongo, Kamwenge, Adjuman, Isingiro, Kampala, kikuube, lamwo, Madi Okollo, Obongi, Terego, Koboko, Lamwo and Yumbe.

The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, says only 37 percent of the $343.4 million needed to support refugees in Uganda in 2023 has been released, posing challenges.