Assessing the impacts of land conflicts on the livelihood of refugees. A case study of Kyangwali Refugee Settlement Camp.

Abstract

While there is a lot of, though inconclusive, literature on the impact of land conflicts in Uganda, little attention has been devoted to the study of the effects of land conflicts on the livelihood strategies of refugees in camps, despite evidence on increasing incidence of such conflicts. The researcher used data from Kyangwali refugee settlement camp to explore the livelihood strategies employed by refugees, the causes of these escalating land conflicts and investigate whether land conflicts impact on the livelihood strategies. The research employed a multi approach consisting of semi structured questionnaire, interview guide, physical observation and the review of literature. Results indicate that female-headed households, refugees aged between 18 and 30 were majorly faced with land conflict, land grabbing, trespass and population increase were the major contributors to the causes of land conflict. The aftereffects of land conflicts were loss of property, jobs and other income generating activities. We also find evidence of a significant and quantitatively large productivity-reducing impact of land conflicts. This suggests that, especially in Africa, attention to land-related conflicts and exploration of ways to prevent and speedily resolve them would be an important area for policy as well as research