The Poverty and Its Implications among the South Sudanese Refugees in Uganda

Abstract

Uganda is one of the countries out of 54 countries in the African Union (AU). It borders Rwanda in the Southwest, Tanzania in the South, Kenya in the east, South Sudan in the north, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the west. Uganda is still suffering from poverty despite many struggles to fight it.

Uganda is hosting South Sudan refugees of about 1.5 million people who fled the country due to 2013 and 2016 political wrangling over the leadership among South Sudanese leaders. Most of the displaced people fled and crossed to Uganda, seeking protection as a refugee in northern Uganda. The majority of the refugees were women and children. The districts occupied are Adjumani, Moyo, and Arua in northern Uganda, respectively. Being homeless they had to rely on a ratio that was insufficient to cater to the family.

It is not that straightforward to measure the level or degree of poverty. According to Anna Miller (2013), measuring poverty among refugees requires long periods. If we were to count all people below a certain poverty line at a particular time, we would know only half of the story behind those poor. Someone can fall below the poverty line in one period but climb above it in the next. On the other hand, someone can be persistently below the poverty line. Therefore, it is not enough to take only one snapshot of the scenario. One has to take into account that people can be either chronically or transiently poor and that there are a lot of movements in and out of poverty.

According to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources, Uganda - Poverty gap at $1.25 a day (PPP) - actual values, historical data, forecasts, and projections were sourced from the World Bank in July 2022.