Access to Water and Conflicts among Refugees and Host Communities, A Case of Nakivale and Oruchinga Refugee Settlements in Western Uganda

Abstract

The increase in the number of refugees due to different situations that threaten human security has become a global problem manifested in societal, governmental and international levels (Steimel 2021).Uganda is among the top refugee-hosting countries in Africa and the world with 1.4million refugees (UNHCR, 2019). The government adopted an approach of accommodating refugees by placing them in settlements within communities and granting them access to basic resources like land, water and others services, which they at times share with host community members (Lomba, 2010).Uganda’s progressive refugee policy has not effectively addressed the issue of land allocation and conflicts between refugees and host communities as land is continuously becoming scarce due to increase in population (Bjørkhaug, 2020). While several refugee-related studies have been conducted worldwide, little is known about the conflict between refugees and host-community in western Uganda-a gap this study hoped to address. The objective sought to examine how access to water leads to conflicts between refugees and host-communities of Nakivale and Oruchinga. The study was guided by Conflict theory propounded by (Bartos, 2002), as derived from the ideas of Karl Marx in 1848. A case study research design was adopted, where qualitative and quantitative approaches were used in data collection. The study found various probable causes of cash handout initiative conflicts between refugees and host communities in Nakivale and Oruchinga to include: Insufficient water sources to meet the needs of the refugees and host communities for their livelihood enterprises, agriculture and livestock. Inappropriate strategies for allocation of water to the refugees that do not put into the needs of the host communities and failure to separate water points for the refugees/host-community and their livestock. Also, it was found that climate change with its attendant impact on environmental degradation has exacerbated scarcity of water to the extent that most of the sources have dried up. The study concludes that failure to put good procedures/strategies for allocation of water resources to the refugees and putting into consideration the needs of the host communities will always lead to continuous conflicts between refugees and host communities in Nakivale and Oruchinga. Thus implies different water points for home consumption and animals should be separated as to maintain hygiene, host communities should also be considered when setting up water points for refugees as to minimise conflicts and as a way of promoting peaceful co-existence among refugees and host communities.