The Office of the Prime Minister has revealed that Uganda spends UGX4.944 trillion (USD1.3 billion) annually on refugee response, of which Shs4.019 trillion goes towards the purchase of firewood for refugees to cook their food.

The Minister of Relief and Disaster Preparedness, Hillary Onek, while appearing before the parliamentary committee on Presidential Affairs, reported that about 1.3 million refugees use the firewood per day.

“97% of refugees use firewood, each consuming 1.6 kg per year valued at Shs5000 per day, as indicated by research reports from the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the World Bank, and the World Food Programme (WFP),” Onek stated.

He also revealed plans by the ministry to borrow USD 280 million, or Shs 1.059 trillion, from the World Bank to support refugees living in Uganda.

“We are now negotiating with the World Bank for more money to go to the districts that host refugees, to enforce whatever we have done,” he noted.

The Ministry also revealed plans to expand services at transit centers to ensure that the services available can fulfill the demands of the incoming population.

“In the next project, we shall expand to cover transit district for refugees like; Bundibugyo, Amuru, Kisoro, Kitgum. To ensure that the services there can meet the demand of the kind of population that is coming,” the  Minister reported.

He also informed MPs that the country is hosting over 1 .5 million refugees from 33 countries who need more funding.

The committee tasked Onek to explain to them whether the country has any benefits in hosting these refugees, given the funding challenges in the country.

Uganda is currently the largest refugee hosting country in Africa and the third largest in the world. The continued arrival of refugees from neighboring countries is putting an
increasing strain on Ugandan host communities. These are mainly from South Sudan and others from the Democratic republic of Congo.