Refugee mobility and livelihoods in Uganda

Refugees in Uganda predominantly reside in rural settlements, but they are free to move within the country and engage in income-generating activities. Given the limited availability of farmland and livelihood opportunities within settlements and the gradual reductions in the humanitarian aid provided to refugees, freedom of movement can play an important role in their economic lives. To evaluate how freedom of movement contributes to the livelihoods of settlement-based refugees in Uganda, the Refugee Economies Programme conducted mixed-method research among South Sudanese and Congolese refugees in two refugee settlements in Uganda’s borderlands: Pagirinya and Kyangwali. Across communities and sites, movement between settlements and urban areas is uncommon and very rarely undertaken in order to engage in income-generating activities. Trips to urban areas are mostly undertaken to access health or education services. In some cases, refugees are more likely to undertake trips to their country of origin than to urban areas in Uganda. Short-distance, daily movements around the settlements are common, with most refugees reporting leaving the settlement several times in the past month. However, such movements are undertaken almost exclusively in order to exploit resources such as vegetation and land, engage in low-paying and irregular casual labour, and, to a more limited extent, engage in small-scale, informal trade. Settlement-based refugees mostly move in order to survive under conditions of extreme precarity. Maintaining humanitarian aid while providing sustained and tangible support to agricultural and off-farm enterprises that target customers and markets outside the settlements are essential for promoting more sustainable and dignified livelihoods for refugees.