Urban Development Transitions and their Implications for Poverty Reduction and Policy Planning in Uganda

Urbanization is one of the critical global trends shaping the future of humanity. At the same time, it has been argued that full development requires an urbanized environment. This paper attempts to examine and characterize the major phases of urbanizatiotransitions, urbanization, planning, poverty, Uganda

A Google Earth-GIS based approach to examine the potential of the current rainwater harvesting practices to meet water demands in Mityana district, Uganda

Rainwater harvesting (RWH) has become an integral part of global efforts to improve water access. Despite the increasing adoption of RWH in Uganda, there remains a significant knowledge gap in the assessment of RWH systems to meet water demands. In this study, a simplified methodology to estimate rainwater harvesting potential (RWHP) as a function of mean seasonal rainfall and rooftop area, generated using Google Earth and GIS tools is applied. Desired tank storage (DTS) capacities based on user population, demand and dry period lengths, were compared with RWHP to assess whether rooftop areas and tank storage can sustainably supply water for use during the March—May (MAM) and September-November (SON) 90-day dry periods, for three demand levels (i.e. for drinking and cooking (15 litres per capita per day (l/c/d)); for drinking, cooking and hand washing (20 l/c/d); and for drinking, cooking, hand washing, bathing and laundry (50 l/c/d)). Our findings document minimum catchment areas of 60m2 to have rainwater harvesting potential that can sustain households for 90-day dry periods for all three demand levels. However, considering their storage capacities, 25%, 48% and 97% of the existing RWHTs (with storage capacities below 8,000, 10,000 and 20,000 litres respectively) are unable to meet the demand of 15 l/c/d, 20 l/c/d and 50 l/c/d respectively for a 90-day dry period. The results document that the existing storage systems are under-sized for estimated water use under 50 l/c/d demand scenarios. Costs of between 2,000,000–4,500,000 Ugandan shillings (~ 600–1, 250 USD) would be needed to increase existing tank capacities to meet the 50 l/c/d demands for a 90-day dry period. These findings document onerous financial costs to achieve rainwater harvesting potential, meaning that households in Mityana district may have to resort to other sources of water during times of shortage

Towards a Comparative Understanding of Community-led and Collaborative Responses to Covid-19 in Kampala, Mogadishu and Nairobi

In this paper, we explore the Covid-19 pandemic’s evolving impacts and wide-ranging local initiatives in Mogadishu, Kampala, and Nairobi. Low-income residents often experienced Covid-19 less as a health crisis (especially in its early waves) and more in terms of its devastating socioeconomic, political and violent impacts. Although there were widespread misconceptions about the virus and vaccine, private sector and civil society groups also raised awareness about Covid-19 via several creative initiatives that can usefully complement official risk communication strategies. Moreover, we found a range of Covid-19 responses at different scales, including national taskforces; philanthropic and private sector initiatives; aid agency initiatives; and grassroots and other civil society interventions. Some new collaborations and constructive engagements emerged between state and non-state groups. An array of non-state actors – including community health volunteers (CHVs), private firms, youth, women’s, faith-based and refugee-led organisations – were key in assisting marginalised residents, but these efforts would benefit considerably from additional government support and recognition. We develop a typology of responses that ranges from quite top-down coalitions to increasingly bottom-up community solidarity networks. The typology encompasses efforts around emergency relief distribution, risk communication, service delivery, livelihoods strengthening and data collection. Collaborations between state and non-state actors took various forms but were typically emergency responses, which did not necessarily adopt a strategic, longer term approach to addressing urban poverty and deprivation. Other interventions – such as enhancing health systems, countering police brutality, supporting multi-sectoral upgrading and engaging constructively with informality – may open newfound possibilities of more lasting, equitable change

Environmental, health and safety intricacies of artisanal mining in the gold-rich landscapes of Karamoja, north-eastern Uganda

Artisanal small-scale gold mining presents numerous opportunities for Uganda's rural poor. However, it also poses serious environmental, health and safety challenges. A suite of data collection methods including interviews, focus groups discussions, water and soils sampling were used to examine the perceptions of miners on the status, prevalence and extent of mercury use in artisanal gold mining, mercury transit routes and toxicity levels of soils and water in Karamoja sub-region. It also explores the health, safety and environmental implications of artisanal small-scale gold mining in the sub-region. The findings show that trade and access to mercury is widespread; although trade in, access to and its use is highly secretive. Traders access mercury through a number of ways including smuggling across the porous borderline and formal, but covert, importation. Miners then discreetly access it through undercover sales in jewellery shops and in affluent gated communities in Uganda's capital, Kampala. Soil and water samples showed mercury levels that exceeded the minimum acceptable limits of 0.03 mg/kg and 0.006 mg/l respectively. Further, artisanal small-scale gold mining is associated with massive land clearances and landscape deformations. It has invariably scarred the countryside with piles of waste and uncovered pits that are a source of accidents and ideal breeding grounds for vectors

The Corona Pandemic’s Impact on the Food and Nutrition Security of Refugees in Northern Uganda

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Working Paper No. 2010/45 Urban Development Transitions and their Implications for Poverty Reduction and Policy Planning in Uganda

Urbanization is one of the critical global trends shaping the future of humanity. At the same time, it has been argued that full development requires an urbanized environment. This paper attempts to examine and characterize the major phases of urbanization in Uganda and what this means for urban policy planning and poverty reduction in the country. Although the history of urbanization in Uganda is relatively young compared to other East African countries, the rate of urban development is reported to be one of the highest in the world. However, little effort is being made to seize the opportunities and maximize the potential benefits of urban development, as well as reduce its potentially negative consequences. The urban development path of Uganda can be classified into five phases, referred to in this paper as transitions, and these ar