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Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement

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Coordinates: 1°57′25″N 32°10′52″E / 1.957°N 32.181°E / 1.957; 32.181
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Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement
Refugee camp
Map
Coordinates: 1°57′25″N 32°10′52″E / 1.957°N 32.181°E / 1.957; 32.181
Country Uganda
DistrictKiryandongo District
TownBweyale
Originally established1990
Re-opened2014
Population
 (2024)
 • Total
100,000+
Time zoneUTC+3 (EAT)

Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement is a major refugee camp located in Bweyale in Kiryandongo District, Uganda.[1] The settlement serves as a home for refugees from multiple countries including Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Kenya, Sudan, and South Sudan.[2][3]

History

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The Kiryandongo area was first used for resettling refugees in 1954 [4] when the British colonial administration asked the Bunyoro Native Government to give the Colonial Government of the Governor to move Kenyan refugees fleeing the Mau Mau Uprising to Kigumba in what was then Masindi District. The Bunyoro Native Government gave land to the Governor for the period of 49 years. During the Idi Amin administration, the land was part of a large-scale government ranching scheme, of which reminders remain today in the names of the subdivisions of the camp. This left the land sparsely populated.[5]

In 1990 the Ugandan government gazetted the virtually uninhabited land around Kiryandongo for refugee resettlement. Ethnic Acholi people fleeing the Sudan People's Liberation Army from Parjok in South Sudan were settled in Kiryandongo after temporarily being held in Kitgum and Masindi. During the 1990s the Sudanese refugees were joined by Ugandan Acholi IDPs from the LRA-affected areas of Gulu and Kitgum.[5]

Kiryandongo also served as an interim stop for displaced people transiting to other camps, including 22,000 who moved from the Achol-Pii Refugee Settlement to Kyangwali in 2002.[6]

The settlement was later re-opened in 2014 during the South Sudanese emergency to accommodate the influx of refugees fleeing conflict.[2] The majority of refugees housed in the settlement are from South Sudan, with smaller populations from other neighboring countries.[2] The settlement is strategically located on the road between Kampala and Gulu in Northern Uganda.[7]

Demographics and population

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As of 2024, the settlement houses more than 100,000 people, making it one of the largest refugee settlements in Uganda.[1] The settlement has experienced significant population growth, particularly with the recent influx of Sudanese refugees fleeing the ongoing conflict in their homeland.[8] Over 10,000 new arrivals have been registered by UNHCR and transferred to the settlement in recent months.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]

Annual population snapshot in Kiryandongo Settlement
Date Refugee Population
January 2018 57,202
April 2019 57,818
January 2020 64,745
January 2021 70,787
January 2022 75,823
January 2023 65,909
January 2024 82,971

For the time periods represented in the table, the majority of refugees housed in the settlement are from South Sudan.[3] In 2024, refugees from Sudan became the second-largest group in the settlement, following intensification of the Sudanese civil war.[17]

Management and services

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The settlement is managed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and provides shelter, land, and support services to refugees.[1] Various international organizations operate within the settlement, including UNICEF, the Lutheran World Federation, and the Real Medicine Foundation.[18] The settlement provides various services including child protection interventions, education, healthcare, and water supply systems.[18] Kiryandongo provides basic necessities to over 100,000 refugees.[1]

Healthcare services

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Some of the health centers in the settlement were taken by RMF which included, Panyadi Health Centre III, Panyadi Hills Health Centre II, and Reception Centre Clinic.[1]

Social services

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The Youth Peacemaker Network provides youth programs to more than 65,000 refugees at Kiryandongo. It is a collaboration with the Western Union Foundation.[19]

Challenges

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The settlement faces numerous challenges including limited water supply, overcrowding, and occasional inter-community tensions.[9] Recent reports indicate deteriorating conditions and safety concerns, particularly with the rapid influx of new arrivals from Sudan.[8] The settlement has experienced incidents of violence, including clashes between different refugee communities that have resulted in casualties.[20]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement Project". Real Medicine Foundation. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Uganda Refugee Response Monitoring Settlement Fact Sheet: Kiryandongo". ReliefWeb. June 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  3. ^ a b Kibego, John (6 August 2014). "Uganda: Kenyan Refugees Demand to Go Home". The Observer. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  4. ^ Kintz, Carrie (8 January 2019). "The History of the Kiryandongo Refugee Camp • With Open Eyes". With Open Eyes. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  5. ^ a b Kaiser, Tania (October 2000). "UNHCR's withdrawal from Kiryandongo: anatomy of a handover" (PDF). New Issues in Refugee Research (32). Geneva: UNHCR. ISSN 1020-7473. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  6. ^ Mutuli, Milicent (9 September 2002). "Displaced refugees in Uganda start move to permanent site". UNHCR. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  7. ^ "Emergency response in Kiryandongo refugee settlement". Lutheran World Federation Uganda. 15 April 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  8. ^ a b "Dire conditions plague Sudanese refugees in Uganda's Kiryandongo camp". Sudan Tribune. 18 June 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  9. ^ a b "UNICEF and other humanitarian actors respond to water challenges in Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement". UNICEF Uganda. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  10. ^ "Uganda - Refugee Statistics January 2023 - Settlement Profiles". UNHCR Operational Data Portal (ODP). Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Uganda - Refugee Statistics January 2024 - Settlement & Urban Profiles". UNHCR Operational Data Portal (ODP). Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  12. ^ "Uganda - Refugee Statistics January 2022 - Kiryandongo". UNHCR Operational Data Portal (ODP). Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  13. ^ "Uganda - Refugee Statistics January 2021 - Kiryandongo". UNHCR Operational Data Portal (ODP). Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  14. ^ "Settlement Profile Kiryandongo - January, 2020". UNHCR Operational Data Portal (ODP). Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  15. ^ "Settlement Profile - Kiryandongo - April 2019". UNHCR Operational Data Portal (ODP). Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  16. ^ "Uganda Refugee Response Monitoring Settlement Fact Sheet: Kiryandongo - January 2018". UNHCR Operational Data Portal (ODP). Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  17. ^ "Uganda - Refugee Statistics July 2024 - Settlement & Urban Profiles". UNHCR Operational Data Portal (ODP). Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement: UNICEF, LWF giving Sudanese refugees a new lease on life". UNICEF Uganda. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  19. ^ "Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement". WPDI. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  20. ^ "Clashes in Uganda's Kiryandongo settlement leave one dead, dozens injured". Eye Radio. 14 July 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
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