Uganda
Uganda - 1.1 Humanitarian Background
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Humanitarian Background

Uganda has a longstanding history of hosting refugees, with 1.42 million of them, mainly natives of South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi currently resident in the country.

  • Despite its agricultural potential and significant exports, Uganda’s food insecurity levels remain classified as ‘serious’ 2019 Global Hunger Index.
  • Ugandans consume 400 kcal less than they need each day. Malnutrition is widespread across the country:
    • 29 percent of children under the age of 5 years are stunted
    • 53 percent are anaemic and at risk of not reaching their full mental and physical potential https://www.wfp.org/countries/

Table 1.1.1. Uganda: Disaster, Conflicts, and Migration

Natural Disasters

Type

Occurs

Comments / Details

Drought

Yes

Seasonal, parts of Western and Central Uganda to mid Northern and Eastern regions are affected by drought.

Drought affects the pasture and water levels along the cattle corridor in the west and can result in human and livestock deaths when severe.

Earthquakes

Yes

Minor occurrence, some parts of Western and Central Uganda are prone to seismic activity.

Epidemics

Yes

Regular occurrence, of multiple diseases such as Yellow Fever, Typhoid, Malaria, Ebola, Cholera, Tuberculosis, Marburg, Measles, and Covid-19.

EM-DAT | The international disasters database (emdat.be)

Extreme Temperatures

No

N/A

Flooding

Yes

Seasonal, parts of Kampala, Northern and Eastern parts of Uganda are prone to flooding due to intense rainfall, resulting in riverbanks to burst causing damage to livelihood and permanent structures. 

Insect Infestation

Yes

Occasionally, pests’ infestation is causing damage to the crops during planting and harvest season that results in serious food shortage and famine in country. 

Mudslides

Yes

Occasionally, mostly affected areas are Western Ruwenzori and Eastern Mount Elgon region.

Volcanic Eruptions

No

However, dormant, and active volcanos are identified in the Eastern and Western Rift Valleys i.e., Nyiragongo in DRC.

High Waves / Surges

No

N/A

Wildfires

No

N/A

High Winds

No

N/A

Other Comments

 

Man-Made Issues

Civil Strife

Yes

Regular occurrence, in parts of West Nile, Northern and Eastern Karamoja region due to clan clashes, rebellion leaders, cattle raids and famine.

Uganda Civil War (globalsecurity.org)

International Conflict

Yes

Regular occurrence, on the border of South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo resulting in influx of refugees and armed government interventions.

Threat of terrorist attacks from Somalia terrorist group Al-Shabaab are also considered relevant.

Internally Displaced Persons

Yes

Occasionally, drought, famine, and Influx of refugees from border districts to South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo causes a migration and internally displaced people in country.

Refugees Present

Yes

Regular occurrence, about 1,5 million refugees are present in transit-centres and refugee settlements from bordering countries of South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, and Democratic Republic of Congo.

UNHCR - Uganda

Landmines / UXO Present

No

N/A

Other Comments

N/A

 

Table 1.1.2. Uganda: Seasonal Effects on Logistic Capacity

Seasonal Effects on Transport

Transport Type

Time Frame

Comments / Details

Primary Road Transport

All year around

All primary roads are tarmacked and passable during most of the year. However, flooding causes damages & temporary obstacles.

Secondary Road Transport

May-October

Heavy rainfall can cause impassable routes on secondary roads that are primary murram and soil surface.

Rail Transport

All year around

Not affected by seasonal climate change.

Air Transport

All year around

Not affected by seasonal climate change.

Waterway Transport

All year around

Not affected by seasonal climate change

 

Table 1.1.3. Uganda: Seasonal Effects on Storage Handling

Seasonal Effects on Storage and Handling

Activity Type

Time Frame

Comments / Details

Storage

All year around

No seasonal effects on storages. However, the tropical climate in Uganda causes humidity and moist circumstances in closed and non-ventilated storages.

Handling

All year around

No seasonal effects on handling

Other

All year around

No seasonal effects on other activities

 

Uganda has no seasonal restraints to storage and handling. However, generally logistics bottlenecks and inefficiencies are present at multiple levels, such as during loading, delivery, warehousing, packaging, and waste management.

Traffic congestion, hurdles along transport journeys, poor 1.3infrastructure, and facilities, all add to higher times and logistics costs which are passed onto the shippers and ultimately borne by the consumers.

Inefficient logistics also have social costs in terms of higher risk of road accidents, inappropriate and unsafe work conditions for drivers, loaders, or staff at warehouses.

Capacity and Contacts for In-Country Emergency Response

The Government of Uganda and implementing partner coordination is addressed under the leadership of the National Task Force (NTF) and District Task Forces and both with their respective subcommittees.

The Department of Disaster Preparedness and Refugees in the Office of the Prime Minister is the lead government desk in disaster preparedness and management in Uganda.

The coordination of international and domestic disaster relief is undertaken by this Department through the National Emergency Operations Centre.

In addition, the Department is responsible for mobilising resources in collaboration with UN agencies, including Uganda Red Cross Society and other humanitarian organisations, to assist disaster victims immediately after a disaster and in the restoration of their lives.

The government may request international assistance whenever disasters exceed national coping capacity through the Central Appeals Process.

The mandate of Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) is to protect Uganda and provide safe and secure environment for Ugandan citizen and to cooperate with civilian authority in emergency situations in cases of natural disasters. For more information on government contact details, please see the following link: UPDF – Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces

Uganda also provides political support to the safety and security in the African region by contribution to the East African Community (EAC). East African Community (eac.int)

Following COVID-19 (2020) pandemic and Ebola outbreak (2022) GoU has focussed emergency response attention on public health responses through the Ministry of Health (MoH).

  • The coordination of general health emergencies in Uganda is undertaken by the Strategic Advisory Committee advised by the scientific Committee (strategic), the Incident Management Team (operational) and District (tactical) taskforce.
  • The IMT is responsible for the day-to-day review of preparedness and response and the overall clearance of the response decisions is done at the National Task Force (NTF).[1]
  • MoH works through the Department of Pharmaceutical and Natural Medicines for the coordination of the pharmaceutical sector.[2]
  • National Medical Stores (NMS) is a government agency responsible for procuring, warehousing, and distributing pharmaceutical products to public health facilities.

Humanitarian Community

Uganda’s public sector funding for its supply chain system benefits from direct investments from several external development partners and donors:

The main UN agencies and implementing partners active and working in Uganda is following:

  • World Health Organization (WHO) is active in Monitoring and Evaluation of emergency related outbreaks and detecting serious diseases such as malaria, polio, tuberculosis, Ebola and covid 19: WHO | Regional Office for Africa
  • United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is working to keep most vulnerable children alive, safe, and educated in Uganda; focussing on education, child protection, social protection, health, nutrition, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) UNICEF Uganda
  • United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is active and working with protection, assistance, coordination, and monitoring of all shelters and refugee settlements in country: Country - Uganda (unhcr.org)
  • African Centre for Disease and Control (CDC) is wo strengthening the capacity and capability to Uganda health institutions as well as partnerships to detect and respond quickly and effectively to disease threats and outbreaks: Home – Africa CDC
  • Ugandan Red Cross Society works with community engagement and disaster management in  health services, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), commercial first aid and ambulance services: What We Do (redcrossug.org)
  • World Food Programme provides cash/food assistance to meet the food and nutrition needs of refugees and vulnerable Ugandans: Uganda | World Food Programme (wfp.org)
  • United States Agency for International Development (USAID) works in partnership with various sectors to increase resilience and strengthening systems in the country: Uganda | U.S. Agency for International Development (usaid.gov)
  • The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) addresses the challenges of high maternal mortality, the unmet need for family planning and policymakers to champion solutions to population challenges, gender equality and human rights: UNFPA Uganda | United Nations Population Fund
  • The World Bank manages various public investments, economic activities, and development skills projects in Uganda: Uganda Overview: Development news, research, data | World Bank
  • The Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET) is a leading provider of early warning and analysis on acute food insecurity in the world.
    • FEWS NET provides unbiased, evidence-based analysis to governments and relief agencies who plan for and respond to humanitarian crises.
    • FEWS net analysts and specialists work with scientists, governments ministries, international agencies, and NGOs to track and publicly report on conditions in the world’s most food-insecure countries: Uganda | Famine Early Warning Systems Network (fews.net)
 

[1] Uganda Ministry of Health, 2022., National Response Plan for Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak.

[2] WFP 2021, internal report on Covid-19 logistics support to Uganda Ministry of Health

 

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