MAKERERE
UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF LAW
REPORT ON URBAN POVERTY IN SLUMS OF BWAISE AND
SURROUNDING AREAS, KAMPALA METROPOLITAN CITY.
KUSHABA COLLINS
Introduction
Poverty is a multidimensional phenomenon whose definitions and causes vary by age,
gender, culture, and other social, economic, and political contexts. Poverty is a dynamic
process of social, economic, cultural, political, or other deprivation that affects individuals or
communities, often resulting in a lack of access to necessities of life like food, shelter,
clothing, water, medical care, education, and a feeling of powerlessness, helplessness,
isolation or social exclusion. In other words, poverty refers to a situation of failure to attain a
given standard of living or lack of resources to acquire the basic needs of life. Uganda has
been struggling for decades with issues of poverty and Kampala, its capital city, is no
exception. The migration of residents from rural to urban areas has led to growing pockets of
poverty in the capital since insufficient housing sends many to live on the streets. The poor of
Kampala live in slums and nearly all citizens are unemployed. The average population
density is 6100 persons per km2 with slum areas rising to 30,000 ppkm2 (UBOS, 2009). This
report focuses on the urban poverty issues in the Bwaise, Lower Kamwokya, Katanga, and
surrounding areas of Kampala, but it does not exclude other Rural areas and the rest of
Uganda since poverty is a circulating problem just like cancer, aiming to provide a
comprehensive analysis of the problem and suggest strategies, recommendations for its
mitigation.
Background
Over the last two decades, there has been a growing discussion about the ‘urbanization of
poverty’. (Ravallion, Chen, and Sangraula 2008) made the first decomposition of the
international dollar-a-day poverty estimates by rural and urban location. Although
urbanization plays a positive role in overall poverty reduction, the urban share of poverty is
rising. The UN Human Settlements Programme, estimates that 881 million people, or 30% of
developing countries’ urban populations live in slums (UN-Habitat, 2014), and that this could
rise to 3 billion or 60% by 2050 (UN DESA, 2013, UN DESA, 2014). This rise in the urban
share of poverty notwithstanding, data collection methods and poverty measures have not
caught up with the reality of an increasingly urbanized world.
The urban population (in particular its marginalized and poorer segments) has largely
depended on unplanned and informal settlements for housing provision (Bishop et al., 2000,
Keiner et al., 2005). The dominance of informal, unmonitored, irregularly placed housing
provision puts a strain on existing infrastructure. This can lead to inadequate sanitation,
unreliable water supply, intermittent electricity, and overburdened transportation (Guneralp &
Seto, 2008). As a consequence, urban living is often challenging for these new migrants.
Most of Uganda’s poor are the thousands of subsistence farmers who live in remote rural
areas of the country. Lack of access to markets and technology has led several to abandon
their villages and migrate to the city. Cities such as Kampala in areas like Bwaise, Katanga,
and lower Kamwokya among others present hope for those smallholder farmers who were
unable to sustain their families. Kampala Metropolitan has been the destination for thousands
and because of this, the city has been unable to provide for the masses of new residents.
Inadequate sanitation in Kampala has increased incidences of waterborne diseases such as
worm infestations and malaria, inadequate housing, and high levels of unemployment. These
issues drastically affect the economy of the residents throughout Kampala and increase the
rate of poverty.
Study area
The Bwaise informal slums lies northwest of Kampala city, in the Kawempe Division,
extending to parts of the Nansana Division in Wakiso District, covering an area of
approximately 300 hectares. The settlement density is high, with approximately 27,000
inhabitants per square kilometer, characterized by low-income housing, transcending into the
Lubigi wetland in the low-lying areas
Literature review
The concept of “city “itself is heterogeneous. In cities like Kampala, the poor and rich with
their different levels of assets live together, and there are significant intra-urban differentials
in social, environmental, and health conditions. Manifestations of poverty are particularly
site-specific in urban areas. Average welfare indicators presenting overall urban conditions
cannot give a correct picture of poverty within Kampala city. It is important to know the
social and physical conditions of different groups and neighborhoods within the city, the
forms of deprivations that they suffer, and the numbers and characteristics of these residents.
UN-Habitat has developed a comprehensive definition for identifying slums or informal
settlements in urban areas, which takes into account five key criteria. These criteria include
access to improved water and sanitation services, sufficient living space (fewer than four
people per room), structural quality of housing that can withstand extreme climatic
conditions, and the presence of secure tenure for residents to live with peace and dignity.
(UN-Habitat, 2016).
Different-sized cities tend to have different problems. A recent UN analysis of health
indicators and of housing and basic services in large cities (more than 1 million population),
small cities, and towns over the past couple of decades in 43 countries shows that welfare has
been deteriorating for the residents of large cities—and particularly of fast-growing ones in
almost every region (Brockerhoff and Brennan 1998).
Urban poverty can be transitional temporary, or persistent. Poverty is a dynamic condition
from which people move in and out. The informal sector and casual laborers who are often at
the brink of poverty are especially vulnerable in times of economic recession. Increasingly,
however, poverty in cities is found to be an entrenched, multigenerational reality for
households who find their social and economic advancement limited even when they have
acquired basic education. For example, in Kampala, the urban poverty rate is the percentage
of the urban population living below the national urban poverty line which is 9.6%.
Insecurity as a dimension of poverty is defined as vulnerability to a decline in well-being.
The shock triggering the decline can occur at the micro (household level), at the meso (or
community level), and/or at the national or international level (World Development Report,
2000/2001). The share of the urban population in Uganda increased by 0.6 percentage points
(+2.35 percent) since the previous year. With 26.16 percent, the share thereby reached its
highest value in the observed period. Notably, the share continuously increased over the last
years. (O'Neill, A. 2023)
Methodology
The study used qualitative research approaches to identify the pattern of poverty, its causes and
the way forward with a specific focus on poorest slum areas like Bwaise, Kamwokya,
Kawempe, Katanga, Nankinga zone in Zana, and districts of Uganda. Snowball sampling
method was employed to identify the poor. According to John W. Creswell (1999), “Snowball
sampling is a non-probability sampling method used in research when it's difficult to identify
and access the target population directly”. In this study a sample size of 80 respondents were
reached out to across the different slums. Given the fact that poverty is not a popular
phenomenon in the eyes of the public. Interviews were then conducted with the selected
respondents. In this paper, qualitative data analysis involved the researcher searching for
patterns of data in the form of recurrent behaviors or events and then interpreting them moving
from description of empirical data to interpretation of meaning. We interacted with several
people in Bwaise, Lower Kamwokya, Katanga, and other close areas, and in addition with some
Articles in regards to the poverty concepts by some Authorities/ government institutions, like
poverty Eradication Action Plan [2004/5-2007/8], UBOS officials. Therefore, in this paper, the
process of data analysis involved editing, coding, and tabulation plus interpretation of data
hence arriving at this complete researched paper.
Results
In interacting with the people who are more victims of the problem called poverty in the
above-identified areas, we were given basically oral statements that as a team we wrote
down, as the causes of poverty in Uganda, and some suggestions to eradicate these problems
as they have affected their lives and activities both socially, politically and economically, as
written below
(i)
We found out that the biggest number of people in the areas don not have reasonable
and sufficient access to education and cannot afford the private schools.
(ii)
The women and children do not have access to medical attention, and cannot afford
the private medical institutions
(iii)
We found out that the people in Bwaise live under poor housing
facilities/infrastructures that are also located in the wetlands due to the cheap lands
that are also illegal to live there as per the National Environment Management
Authority (NEMA).
(iv)
The high crime rate in the slums due to the insecurity that is not provided by the
authority like the police, LC I security committee team of Bombo road village which
is biased due to them being poor.
(v)
The high rate of unemployment is due to the high rate of illiteracy in Lule zone,
Bwaise II.
(vi)
The poor infrastructure like roads, and buildings, that are not constructed on
reasonable standards like tend to cause flooding, accidents, and congestion among
others in Lufula, Mugoowa village, Bwaise Kampala
(vii)
The increase in population that has led to traffic jam, congestion.
(viii) The poor hygiene due to lack of clean water, health facilities, toilets and latrines, the
flooding among others causing diseases, and death.
Discussions
Social inequality and tensions majorly steaming from gender, cultures and religion have
indeed created fighting, violence, resource abuse, and eventual poverty. Religious differences
(among Christians versus Muslims) and cultural differences in terms of speech traditions,
customs, beliefs, and practices have been at the center of controversies suspicion and counter
suspicion and violence that have led to several deaths, family breakdown, discrimination in
the allocation of resources, distribution of benefits and access to services hence poverty on
defeated groups polygamy, domestic violence, separation and divorce are cited as causes of
poverty whereby many women suffer years of beating to avoid the consequences of family
breakup and the food insecurity that often follows loss of access to productive resources such
as land. In other words, someone suffers because of being a male/ female caused by persons
of same sex, opposite sex, society or institutions. The major effect of these gender related
violence`s is poverty in the family, household, and the nation because families are fighting,
not working together, separation, suspicion and counter suspicion of members and girls/
women suffer greatly hence the whole nation including Bwaise.
The economic system/ institution mechanism in Uganda (Bwaise) that is backed/ shielded by
several factors that explain the poverty trends in Bwaise and they include; high inflation,
unemployment, inequalities and low economic growth. Inflation in Bwaise and Uganda at
large, has constantly increased hence affecting productivity, investment and purchasing
power. The increasing population in Bwaise where the youth below age of 30 are over 60%
coupled with low economic productivity indeed presents, an unemployment challenge.
Available research to complement this paper affirms that poverty is a daily friend to most of
the people in urban areas, this is due to scarcity of jobs with a greater competition among the
educated and the uneducated personnel. There is growing inequality between the rich and the
poor because of the differences in access and control of factors of production; land, labor,
capital, and entrepreneurship. Economic growth remains low in Bwaise because production
centers, factories, and investments do not match international standards and the increasing
population. Therefore, such economic imbalances indeed limit income increase and wealth
creation hence poverty. Bwaise has a very poor socioeconomic infrastructure setup. There is a
poor transport system like Jambula, Bubajwe roads, railways unclean / instrument supply, and
air. As a result, only a few areas in Bwaise with better facilities (such as urban areas) have
developed leaving the rural areas, which are occupied by the largest percentage of the
population undeveloped. Other leading causes of poverty in Bwaise are the prevalence of
diseases (such as HIV/AIDS, cholera, constipation, etc. due partly to inadequate and poor
health facilities. In households affected by any diseases little resources are spent on treating
the sick, in the worst scenario where the breadwinner dies, those who are left behind have no
resources to support themselves, thus leading to poor lifestyles.
Political stability and the investments in slums areas inclusive of Bwaise are unpredictable
recently a few years ago when the movement of people power/ NUP was established in
Uganda, which included many youths, that brought tension due to political competition
between the major/ leading political parties i.e. NUP and NRM, that has caused tension in
Bwaise for example in 2020 arrested the LC1 chairman of Kiyaga Zone, Bwaise 1, Kawempe
Division, Kampala City during the declaration of results and the neighboring areas that is at
times involves the police in the prevailing circumstances, which has affected production ,
investments and tainted the image of Bwaise outside as a bad place to invest,. Increasing
insecurity in Bwaise with killing and women and or people, brutal police force, have all
affected investments hence low capital inflow, business hence limited income and
consequently poverty.
The perpetuation of poverty is also intricately linked to several ethical factors, Corruption
stands out as a significant concern, with instances of corrupt practices negatively impacting
various aspects of life and economics. Transparency International has ranked Uganda's public
sector as one of the most corrupt globally, with substantial financial losses attributed to
corruption for example recently Uganda was delisted from AGOA which had provided
Ugandan exporters with an opportunity to further expand manufacturing and production, and
to diversify and increase exports to the U.S. due to the passing of Anti-Homosexuality Act
which included “death penalty” for aggravated homosexuality. Additionally, tribalism, often
driven by poor governance, creates divisions, prejudice, hostility, and favoritism among tribal
groups, resulting in political instability, conflicts, inequalities, and underdevelopment.
Moreover, unresolved grievances, including unemployment, family disputes, and extremism,
exacerbate the poverty crisis, particularly in slum areas like Bwaise. Understanding these
ethical factors is essential to developing effective strategies to combat poverty and foster
sustainable development in Kampala and generally in Uganda.
Ecological factors contribute to poverty in Bwaise, Kampala through environmental
degradation and resource mismanagement, leading to adverse effects such as deforestation,
water resource challenges, encroachment on wildlife habitats, unsustainable mining practices,
and poor agricultural techniques. The degradation of natural resources and ecosystems
exacerbates poverty, as the depletion of forest cover, improper water management, humanwildlife conflicts, and land degradation in areas like Bwaise negatively impact livelihoods.
Additionally, issues like corruption, weak law enforcement, and population growth
compound these ecological challenges, ultimately resulting in low returns from the
environment and perpetuating poverty (Falkenberg et al., 2000). This interplay between
ecological injustices and moral and ethical failures, including bad governance, nepotism, and
embezzlement, contributes to socio-economic crises in Uganda, underscoring the need for
sustainable environmental management to alleviate poverty (Lubaale, 2015).
Poverty is a historical phenomenon that has its roots in the origins, geographic location,
cultural practices, and social structures of groups in different parts of Uganda. Transitionary
causes result from structural adjustment reforms and changes in domestic economic policies,
leading to unemployment and price changes. Natural calamities like drought and man-made
disasters such as wars and environmental degradation also induce transitional poverty.
Furthermore, the persistence of poverty is intertwined with the culture of poverty thesis,
where individuals create and sustain a culture that reinforces social and behavioral
deficiencies, Uganda's passing of the controversial Anti-Homosexuality Act has made the
country lose trading opportunities with European states ultimately resulting in in into a
vicious cycle of poverty, particularly in areas like Karamoja, Yumbe, Kaberamaido, Ssebei,
and Kalangala due to historical and geographical factors (Narayan et al., 2000a; Lewis,
1970).
Recommendations for other emerging cities
The recommendations to end poverty in Uganda, particularly in urban poverty-stricken areas
like Katanga, Lower Kamwokya, and Bwaise, can be summarized as follows:
Address historical distortions ethically
To tackle poverty, it is imperative to confront the historical distortions that have contributed
to Uganda's economic challenges in a legal and ethical manner. These historical issues have
deep-rooted social, economic, and political constructs.
Aim for total transformation; Uganda should set a long-term vision for transformation over
the next 30 years, aiming to shift from a predominantly peasant society to a modern and
prosperous country like transferring the capital city to a free planned district like Luweero,
Nakasongola or Hoima. The goal is for every Ugandan citizen to attain a significantly higher
standard of living within this period.
Strong Institutions and Anti-Corruption Measures: Poverty reduction hinges on having strong
institutions and ensuring equitable resource distribution. This necessitates the presence of a
non-corrupt government. It is crucial to empower institutions like the Inspectorate of
Government (IG), courts of law, police, accounting officers, and non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) to combat corruption effectively and ensure equitable resource
allocation and distribution.
Reconciliation and Forgiveness: Ugandans are urged to forgive the historical injustices,
colonial legacies, and actions of past and present leaders that have hindered Uganda's
development. Emphasis is placed on moving beyond criticism and forging a way forward
through dialogue.
Integration of Ethics and Development: The inseparable nature of ethics and development is
highlighted, with an emphasis on cultural rejuvenation, moral rehabilitation, and the
importance of nationalism and Pan-Africanism as prerequisites for Uganda's development.
Justice, Ethics, and Moral Rehabilitation: Upholding justice, ethics, and moral rehabilitation
is essential. This includes changing attitudes to promote equality and justice, emphasizing
dialogue for development, and ending mechanisms that have perpetuated poverty and
exploitation.
Sustainable Resource Management: Religious leaders are encouraged to teach and promote
stewardship of natural resources, engage in mass mobilization and sensitization for proper
resource conservation, and actively participate in resource management projects.
Engagement with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Religious leaders and
organizations are encouraged to actively participate in the implementation of the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs, supporting the progressive evolution of
religious thinking and scientific discovery.
Promotion of Gender Equality: Gender equality is identified as an urgent priority across all
sectors of the economy, public and private services, aiming to recognize and value the
similarities and differences between men and women.
Utilize Cultural and Historical Knowledge; It is crucial for Ugandans to have a deep
understanding of their cultures and history, which should serve as the foundation for
designing relevant educational, economic, and political systems. Overreliance on foreign
solutions and aid should be reduced.
Harness local resources and develop Industries; Uganda should utilize its local resources,
reduce dependence on imported materials, and develop industries that provide essential inputs
to agriculture and process agricultural products. This approach should lead to meaningful and
sustainable industrial development.
South-South Cooperation and Regional Integration: Collaboration with other African nations,
South-South cooperation, and regional economic integration are presented as ways to address
exploitation from the global North and promote economic stability and development in
Africa.
Role of the African Union (AU): The AU should work towards achieving greater unity and
solidarity among African nations, resolve conflicts, and enforce sanctions when needed. The
AU should ensure that Africa's vast resources are used to meet the basic needs of its people.
(MFPED, 2014)
Conclusion
From the look of the things, situation in Bwaise remains wanting if the country is to make
break through. The paper has established the major causes of the continued poverty amidst
resources in Bwaise as unethical practices, ecological injustices or destruction, historical
distortions, social tensions/ conflicts, economic and political instabilities/ uncertainties which
among others put together have affected work, investments, capital inflow and eventual
wealth creation hence poverty. The persistence of poverty in Bwaise, despite significant
poverty reduction under sure the need for more governmental commitment (like Eradication
poverty reports), emphasizing the importance of ethical governance, social cohesion, and
sustainable resource management in ending poverty and achieving a prosperous future for
Uganda, with a particular focus on addressing the challenges faced by urban populations in
areas like Katanga, Bwaise among others.
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