Livelihood dynamics of urban refugees in Uganda: evidence from congolese and somalis in Kampala

Abstract

Uganda receives a large number of refugees from neighbouring countries. Some of the refugees end up in urban areas where they begin new life without any help from the government and development agencies. We investigated the livelihood strategies employed by Somali and Congolese refugees in Kampala City, Uganda. Start-up capital, language barrier, and poor conditions of work emerged as the major livelihood challenges faced by the refugees. Most of the refugees mentioned that they resorted to social networks, personal savings, and aid as start-up capital. There is a need for strengthened coordination between the different actors engaged in livelihood programmes for the refugees.