Land Allocation and Conflicts among Refugees and Host Communities, A case of Nakivale and Oruchinga Refugee Settlements in Western Uganda

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 land allocation to refugees 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 land conflicts between refugees and host communities in Nakivale and Oruchinga to include: inadequate consultation by the government with the host communities prior to the establishment of refugee camps and settlements; lack of direct and clear information from the government to the communities about the tenure of land occupation by refugees; cultural differences between the refugees and host community, which has resulted in lack of trust and breach of harmony among the two groups. Also, it was found that climate change with its attendant impact on environmental degradation has exacerbated scarcity of arable land, leading to resources conflict between refugees and host community members in Nakivale and Oruchinga. The study concludes that lack of prior engagement of key stakeholders in the processes of land allocation mostly host communities and proper demarcation of land between host communities and refugees will always lead to continuous conflicts in Nakivale and Oruchinga. This implies that there is need for timely consultations with the host communities, sensitization of refugees and host communities on peaceful co-existence and involvement of all key stakeholders before and during land allocation processes.