Uganda Refugee News - September 2026

Sector specific:

EDUCATION

• East African Journal of Research and Innovation - Nature of existing school facilities in secondary schools in Nakivale settlement, Isingiro District; A cross-sectional study

• GoU/UNHCR - Uganda Refugee Response: Education dashboard - Quarter 2 2026

• IGAD - IGAD convenes the 5th Meeting on Refugee Inclusion in National Education Systems

• Independent - MTN Uganda expands digital access with ICT hub in refugee settlement

• Monitor -

  • Yumbe refugee students, vulnerable girls cry out for school fees bailout

  • Kyangwali coaches take up inclusion challenge

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

•  GoU/UNHCR - Uganda Refugee Response: Environment and Energy dashboard - Quarter 2 2026

• Integral Ecology in the Anthropocene: Africa and Beyond - Living Together, Growing Together: Just Agroecological and Energy Transitions in Uganda’s Farmlands

• Refugees International - Building Climate Resilience with Displaced Communities: Progress on Climate Adaptation from the 2023 Global Refugee Forum

• Science Direct - Biomass fuel consumption and indoor air pollution from cooking appliances in refugee settings

• U-Learn Uganda -

  • Climate Hazard Assessment – Kamwenge District

  • Climate Hazard Assessment – Isingiro District

  • Climate Hazard Assessment – Adjumani District

  • Climate Hazard Assessment – Yumbe District

 HEALTH

• For Afrika - Project combats malnutrition amongst refugees in Uganda

• GoU/UNHCR - Uganda Refugee Response: Health & Nutrition Sector dashboard - Quarter 2 2026

• London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine - Exploring Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Amongst Refugees with Disabilities in Uganda

• New Vision - Failing vaccine aid and rising refugee numbers fuelling Measles resurgence in Uganda

• Ovid - Longitudinal associations between condom use self-efficacy trajectories, HIV-related stigma, and HIV prevention engagement among refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda

• Refugee Survey Quarterly - Mediating Tensions Between Care and Control: An Ethnographic Exploration of Counting (and not Counting) COVID-19 Amongst Refugees in Uganda

• Tropical Medicine and Health - Evaluation of the diagnostic capacity for neglected tropical diseases in a refugee settlement in Uganda: a cross-sectional study

• UNICEF -

  • The weight of a mother's fear - "When your child is sick, take them to hospital for a check-up. If they are malnourished, they will get RUTF, because it is free. I did not pay a single cent for RUTF or for the nutrition services."

  • The colour green - A community health volunteer in Nakivale Refugee Settlement took in an abandoned, dying child. A year on, a simple screening tape tells her, in colour, that he has made it.

LIVELIHOODS & RESILIENCE

• ADRA Uganda - GROW Together (Strengthening Sustainable Agricultural Self-Sufficiency & Food Security in Kyaka II Refugee Settlement, Uganda)

• African Partners for Rural Poverty - Supporting Refugee Livelihoods: Hand Hoe Distribution in Partnership with Government of Uganda

• Alliance for Women and Girls - From Refugee to Changemaker: Inside Ogandaze Africa Foundation

• CARE - Refugees in Uganda are turning food assistance into farms, trades, and savings

• Cogent Business & Management - The role of informal financial governance in micro-enterprise continuity: evidence from refugee women entrepreneurs in Uganda

• Cordaid - Poultry Farming Collectives Offer a Gateway to Youth Self-Employment in Uganda

• D&C - When failed harvests turn into debt in Uganda - For smallholder farmers in Uganda, drought can mean more than a lost harvest. Many have taken out loans to cultivate their fields and are struggling to repay them. Some are even forced into displacement.

• DRC - Staying and Moving: Refugee Adaptations to Cuts in Humanitarian Support

• East African Journal of Arts and Social Sciences - Beyond the Technical Fix: Social and Structural Barriers to Transition from In-Kind to Cash and Voucher Assistance in Uganda's Refugee Settlements

• Environmental Research - Mapping agricultural dynamics in displacement-affected landscapes using satellite foundation model embeddings

• Farmers Review Africa - Ugandan youth pool resources to build resilient poultry businesses

• GoU/UNHCR - Uganda Refugee Response:

  • Food Security dashboard - Quarter 2 2026

  • Livelihoods and Resilience dashboard - Quarter 2 2026

  • Cash Voucher Assistance (CVA) dashboard - Quarter 2

• Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation - News from the field - Women and Financial Services - Understanding what Women need from Financial Services: lessons from three studies

• IGAD - IGAD Conducts Regional Learning Exchange on Private Sector-Led Refugee Self-Reliance and Economic Inclusion

• ILO -

  • From Aid to Opportunity – Lessons from over a decade of implementing the ILO’s Approach to Inclusive Market Systems (AIMS) in fragile and forced displacement contexts

  • ILO PROSPECTS: Results at a glance (September 2026)

• IRC - How cash support helped a lifelong nurse continue giving back

• Lund University - Blended Finance and Refugee Economic Inclusion: Market-Based Approaches, Self-Reliance and the Financialisation of Refugee Governance

• Monitor - How climate-smart farming is boosting refugees’ food security in the north

• Nile Post - Govt Urged to Integrate Graduation Approach into Existing Poverty Programmes

• NTV Uganda - (video) - GBV rampant in Kyaka II Refugee Settlement

• Observer - Here are the business opportunities hiding in refugee communities

• Oxfam - Refugee and host community members receive tricycles and grinding mills to strengthen livelihoods

• PML Daily - Kampala to host two-day refugee skills and business exhibition

• Uganda Radio Network - Refugee Women Turn to Business as Aid Declines

• UNICEF - From policy to action - Key Lessons from inside the PROSPECTS Partnership in Uganda

• UN OCHA - Uganda: A concrete effort to rebuild lives

• UN Uganda - Remarks at Technical Workshop on Durable Solutions for Refugees

• WE Forum - Unlocking financial inclusion: Why legal access alone isn’t working for displaced populations

• We Informers - Uganda Refugee Loan Initiative Spurs Economic Growth: 1-Year Report

PROTECTION

• DRC -

  • The distance between care and access: GBV survivors in Uganda's refugee settlements’ struggle to reach life-saving support

  • The distance between care and access GBV survivors in Uganda's refugee settlements’ struggle to reach life-saving support (factsheet)

• GoU/UNHCR - Uganda Refugee Response:

  • Protection dashboard - Quarter 2 2026

  • Child Protection dashboard - Quarter 2 2026

  • Gender-based Violence (GBV) dashboard - Quarter 2 2026

• OCHA - Safe spaces for refugee children in Uganda: "Watching them play makes me happy”

• Research Gate - Hidden Harm and Protection Gaps: Safeguarding Failures in Informal Foster Care Systems for Unaccompanied Refugee Minors in Refugee Settlements

• Together for Girls - Disclosure and help-seeking experiences of childhood sexual violence survivors in refugee settings of Ethiopia and Uganda

WASH

• GoU - Handover of Bidibidi Zone 1 Water Supply System in Yumbe Refugee Settlement to Northern Umbrella of water and Sanitation

• GoU/UNHCR - Uganda Refugee Response: WASH dashboard - Quarter 2 2026

• Uganda Red Cross - (video) - Commissioning of the Misiera Water Treatment Plant in Nakivale Refugee Settlement.

Other:

• Africa24 TV - Uganda: Government to roll out $328m Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project Phase II in October

• Africa Intelligence - Kampala rocked by scandal at heart of its refugee resettlement plan

• APT News - Uganda's open door refugee policy is facing its biggest test yet

• Ayin Network - Starvation or shelling: Dwindling aid in Uganda forces Sudanese refugees back to the battlefield

• Ecofin Agency - Uganda to Launch $328M Program for 3 Million Refugees and Host Communities

• GoU/UNHCR

  • Uganda Country Refugee Response End of Year Inter-Sector Dashboard 2025

  • Uganda Operational Achievements Factsheet 2025

  • Uganda Refugee Response:

    • Suicide Tracking Dashboard

      • January 2026

      • February 2026

      • March 2026

      • April 2026

      • May 2026

      • June 2026

      • July 2026

    • Shelter, Settlement and NFI dashboard - Quarter 2 2026

    • Mbarara Sub-Office Quarter 2 2026 Settlement Performance Snapshot

    • Adjumani Sub-Office Quarter 2 2026 UCRRP Settlement Performance Snapshot

    • Yumbe Sub-Office Quarter 2 2026 UCRRP Settlement Performance Snapshot

    • Quarter 2 2026 Kampala (Urban) Performance Snapshot

    • National Performance Snapshot - Quarter 2 2026

    • Partner Operational Presence - Quarter 2 2026

    • Overview of Refugees and Asylum seekers - August 2026

    • Population dashboard

      • Annex I - Active population by settlement - 31 Aug 2026

      • Annex II - Map - Refugees and Asylum Seekers

      • Annex III - Settlement profiles - 31 August 2026

  • Regional Dashboard RBESA:

    • Refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons in the EAC region - 31 August 2026

    • Refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons in the IGAD region - 31 August 2026

  • Inter-Agency We.Link formerly (Feedback, Referral, and Resolution Mechanism - FRRM) Newsletter - July 2026

• GSMA -

  • Closing the digital divide for refugee women means understanding their full experience of connectivity

  • Digital inclusion for refugee women must go beyond connectivity: GSMA - Identity requirements, device access and affordability can limit independent use of mobile money, aid and other digital services

• Gulu University -

  • Remain or return? Dual citizenship and uncertainty: the case of South Sudanese refugees in Lamwo District, Northern Uganda

  • Conflict Over Environmental Resources: Tensions between the Refugees and Host Communities in Adjumani District, Northern Uganda

• HEKS-EPER - Bidibidi: Co-existence in a Refugee Settlement in Uganda

• Independent -

  • IGAD REPORT: Uganda emerges as a major migration destination, transit hub

  • Parliament seeks greater EU backing for refugees

• IPC - IPC Acute Food Insecurity and Malnutrition Snapshot | July 2026 - June 2027

• IPP Media - Uganda to launch $328m program for 3m refugees, host communities

• Journal of Peace Studies - Do refugee camps impact hosts' security perceptions? Evidence from Africa

• Matooke Republic - Refugee talent to take centre stage at Nsambya exhibition

• Monitor -

  • Uganda appeals for EU refugee funding as 88% budget gap strains public services

  • Uganda refugee sanctuary cracks under own weight

  • World Vision plans Shs900b investment in Uganda as refugee needs rise

  • Refugee settlement infrastructure to get $328m boost, Engola says

• New Lines - How Uganda Became a Holding Ground for America’s Deportees - The secret deal that sent eight asylum-seekers halfway around the world

• New Vision -

  • Partners call for recognition of urban refugees in Arua

  • OPM commend Vision Group for embracing localisation of donor support to refugees

• Nile Post -

  • Lawmakers Question Readiness of 490-Acre Refugee Settlement in Kitgum

  • Engola Warns Against Corruption in Refugee Registration as Kiryandongo Gets New Facilities

• NTV - (video) -

  • Lawmakers unhappy with refugee project’s results

  • Tension between Nuer from S.Sudan and Arabs from Sudan rises

  • How empowerment programme is uplifting women refugees

  • Uganda seeks more support to reduce refugee dependence on humanitarian aid

• ODI -

  • Beyond sovereignty: nationally led crisis response in East Africa

  • (podcast) - Think Change episode 106: UNGA 81 – what would a fairer humanitarian system led by displaced people look like?

• OHCHR - Experts of the Committee on the Rights of the Child Welcome Uganda’s Response to Violence against Children, Raise Questions on Impact of Anti-Homosexuality Act on Children and Steps to End Child Marriage - addresses refugee birth registration and suicides

• Oxfam -

  • Emergency Response Fund: Supporting Western Uganda Humanitarian Platform through Local Organisations to Respond Quickly to Disasters

  • Emergency Response Fund Agility: Evaluating a locally led humanitarian funding model

• Parliament - Parliament demands details on new Kitgum refugee settlement

• Parliament Watch Uganda - Refugee Policy Must Not Become a Politics of Instrumentalisation in Uganda

• RD4C -

  • Day 1: The Responsible Data for Children Organizes Uganda Studio Series: Addressing Mental Health and Psychosocial Support for Refugee Children - The Responsible Data for Children team arrives in Uganda for a week of exciting discussions on the potential of data to support the mental well-being and psychosocial condition of child refugees

  • Day 2: Responsible Data for Children Team Arrives in Mbarara - The RD4C Team travels to Mbarara to understand how organizations operating in the field use data systems to provide mental health and psychosocial services for refugee children.

  • Day 3: Responsible Data for Children Team Meets Implementing Partners, Refugee Communities - Today, the RD4C team supported by UNICEF and UNHCR Uganda explored how different data systems are used by organizations throughout the country to respond to refugee needs.

• Social Science Registry - Rebuilding after Displacement: Peer Support and Refugee Resilience in Uganda

• Special Olympics - Special Olympics Uganda Delivers Coach Training in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement - Unified with Refugees initiative equips teachers, coaches and volunteers with the skills to expand Unified Sports opportunities for refugees and host communities, creating a stronger foundation for sustainable inclusion through sport.

• UCTV - (video) - Government, UNHCR Begin Refugee Verification Exercise

• Uganda Bulletin - Uganda moves to reduce refugee dependence on humanitarian aid

• Uganda Business News - Uganda’s refugee plan is a third funded as Kampala seeks EU help - Water, sanitation and health services for refugees were almost unfunded at end-March

• Uganda Radio Network - DPP Wants More Plea-Bargaining Sessions to Clear Kiryandongo Case Backlog

• U-Learn Uganda -

  • Taking Root – Building Resilience in Uganda’s Refugee-hosting Communities – Annual Report 2025

  • URRI Year 1 Learning & Reflection Brief: What works in refugee resilience programming

• UN - Uganda steps up efforts to advance durable solutions for refugees

• UNHCR -

  • 25th Refugee Engagement Forum Meeting

• University of Cape Town - The refugee asylum process: The bottlenecks, weaknesses and strengths - A comparative analysis between Uganda and South Africa

• Welthungerhilfe, Ayuda en Acción, and CESVI - Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment - Refugee Settlements and Host Communities, April 2026

• WFP - WFP welcomes Ireland’s funding contribution towards support for self-reliance and social protection initiatives in Uganda