Questioning Uganda’s Refugee Policy Framework: Eighty (80) Years in Review

John A Mushomi, Makerere University
Joseph Munyangabo, Centre for Policy Analysis
Nicholas Tunanukye, Population and Social Development Institute
Sandra Mirembe, Center for Population - Makerere University

The paper discusses the applicable international, regional and domestic legal and policy on refugee protection in Uganda. General human rights and specific refugee rights instruments are analyzed from the aspects of the normative content, an assessment is made of what could be the drivers of such a framework, and an evaluation is made on the implementation status and impact on the realisation of the rights of refugees and in some host communities. The travauxpréparatoires of the international legal framework and the Hansards for the domestic framework where possible were reviewed to appreciate the spirit and discussions behind the framework. Our review finds that debates around Uganda’s refugee policies are often blind to the political context in which these policies are pursued, to the historical trajectories that fomented their creation, and to their complex implementation – or, at times, lack of implementation

Keywords: Migrant Populations and Refugees, Population Policies, Inequality, Disadvantage and Discrimination

See paper.