Kyaka II refugee settlement faces food crisis amid funding shortage
The Denmark Ambassador to Uganda, Ms Signe Winding Albjerg on left and others inspects energy-saving cooking stoves in Kyegegwa district on April 29, 2025 during the launch of URRI project. Photo | Alex Ashaba
What you need to know:
- Due to limited financial resources, providing adequate monthly food rations to all refugees is becoming increasingly difficult
The authorities at Kyaka II Refugee Settlement in Kyegegwa District are grappling with the challenge of sustaining the growing refugee population, currently totaling 134,000 individuals.
Due to limited financial resources, providing adequate monthly food rations to all refugees is becoming increasingly difficult, and some individuals may soon be removed from the food assistance list.
"We are facing a funding crisis that is affecting our operations, and a large number of refugees will soon be excluded from the monthly food rations provided by the World Food Programme (WFP)," said Mr Alex Twogirwe, Assistant Settlement Commandant for Kyaka II Refugee Settlement. "The Uganda Refugee Resilience Initiative (URRI) project has come at a critical time and is a much-needed intervention."
Twogirwe emphasized that the funding crisis is inevitable due to global financial constraints and appealed for increased support from development partners and donors to bridge the funding gap. "For those who will no longer receive food rations and other assistance, we are appealing to partners to step in and build their resilience," he said. "Our aim is to empower refugees to become self-reliant so they can survive even in the absence of regular food aid."
The URRI project, launched by Denmark in partnership with Save the Children, aims to enhance the resilience and self-reliance of refugee and host communities through integrated, sustainable approaches. The five-year program has an estimated budget of $40 million and will benefit both refugees and host communities, with 35% and 65% of the benefits going to each group, respectively.
"When refugees lack food in the camp, they will inevitably turn to nearby communities to find food, and this could lead to a rise in food theft," Twogirwe warned. "Food is a basic human need, and people will do what they must to survive."
Denmark's Ambassador to Uganda, Signe Winding Albjerg, said URRI will support approximately 8,000 smallholder farmers and their families in Kyegegwa District.
"The programme will work with approximately 50,000 smallholder farmers and their families in refugee-hosting areas in West Nile, Northern, and Western Uganda, and nearly 250,000 individuals will be supported on their journey towards long-term self-reliance and resilience," she added.
The URRI initiative prioritizes climate-smart agriculture, environmental management, and resilience building, offering sustainable solutions to the challenges faced by refugees and host communities.
"Because URRI prioritizes climate-smart agriculture, environmental management, and resilience building, we believe it will offer sustainable solutions to the challenges we are currently facing," said Denis Otiti, Assistant Field Officer for UNHCR at Kyaka II Refugee Settlement.
