Tayebwa Appeals to EU to Save Uganda's Refugee Policy Amid Funding Crunch

Uganda remains committed to keeping its borders open to those fleeing conflict, but the country can no longer shoulder the immense humanitarian burden alone. Speaking to European lawmakers, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa warned that shrinking international funding is severely threatening the nation’s celebrated open-door refugee policy.

Uganda currently hosts approximately 2.03 million refugees and asylum seekers spread across 13 settlements, cementing its status as Africa’s largest refugee-hosting nation. However, a deepening financial crisis has forced the government to divert vital domestic resources meant for infrastructure, education, and healthcare toward humanitarian relief.

According to official figures, the funding shortfall has left about one million refugees completely weaned off food assistance from the World Food Programme. While effective refugee management requires an estimated Shs3.2 trillion annually, Uganda had received a mere Shs256 billion by July, translating to just 12.5 percent of the required budget and leaving a staggering Shs2.6 trillion funding gap.

Addressing the joint parliamentary meeting of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the EU, Tayebwa called for fairer responsibility-sharing and increased international cooperation. Other Ugandan legislators also emphasized the need to reform global financial governance to curb economic vulnerabilities that fuel instability.

Read the full report on Daily Monitor.