Uganda is facing a looming crisis as donors that have been funding refugee feeding programs prepare to withdraw their financial support within the next three months.
The development leaves the Ugandan government with the enormous task of sustaining the livelihoods of the 1.7 million refugees currently residing in the country.
The revelation was made by Kasule Lumumba, Minister of General Duties in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), during her appearance before Parliament’s Presidential Affairs Committee.
She led a team from the OPM to present the ministry’s policy statement for the 2025/26 financial year.
According to Lumumba, the government is urgently working on a paper to present to the Cabinet to address the impending food crisis among refugees.
The minister highlighted that donors had officially communicated their decision to halt food aid beyond the next three months, necessitating immediate government intervention.
“We are writing a paper to take to Cabinet to look at the issue of food for the refugees, already the donors have written to us that they are only able to provide food for the refugees for the next three months, after that, then after that, we must find a solution to that. And you know when you talk of 1.7 million people, when it comes to feeding, we can’t postpone. So we must have a discussion at Cabinet, then come to Parliament to discuss this matter,” Lumumba stated.
Uganda has long been recognized for its open-door refugee policy, providing shelter and essential services to displaced persons from neighboring countries, including South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burundi.
However, much of this support particularly food and shelter has been funded by international donors.
With the impending exit of donor funding, concerns are mounting over how the government will mobilize resources to sustain refugee assistance programs.
