Sh3.3b cash-for-work project to benefit 5,500 refugees in three districts

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A total of 5,500 refugees from the districts of Isingiro, Madi Okollo and Terego are set to benefit from a grant of sh3.3b from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) for the financial year 2025/2026.

Aggrey David Kibenge, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD), disclosed that the project, dubbed the Cash Work Programme (CWP), will create short-term employment opportunities for unemployed youth, vulnerable women, and men in refugee settlement areas.

Kibenge explained that beneficiaries of the programme will participate in community projects for a period of three months and will earn sh7,000 per day for 18 days each month.

This translates to sh126,000 per month and sh378,000 for 54 days over three months. The overall budget is a sh3.3b grant given to refugees in Isingiro, Madi Okollo and Terego by the International Labour Organisation.

Kibenge revealed this to the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, who launched the CWP Programme Protection National Dialogue 2025 under the theme “Enhancing Access to Social Protection for Inclusive Socio–Economic Transformation” on November 1, 2025, at the Kampala Serena Hotel.

“The purpose of the CWP is to mitigate income shocks encountered by some of the households in both rural and urban centres. Emphasis will be put on addressing the socio-economic risks, impacts of forced displacement and causes of climatic shocks,” added Kibenge.

He explained that the programme will enrol at least one member of every eligible household to earn income by participating in a community Labour-Intensive Public Works (LIPW) project designed to provide short-term employment to poor and vulnerable individuals.

He added that some beneficiaries will be paid for providing intensive labour for development, rehabilitation and maintenance of community assets, while others from labour-constrained households will participate in lighter work and receive direct cash transfers due to their vulnerability to poverty.

“The Labour-Intensive Public Works (LIPW) projects include afforestation, construction of soil and water conservation structures, rehabilitation of wetlands, maintenance of community access roads and desilting of roadside drainage channels,” added Kibenge.

Kibenge noted that the CWP targets the poorest households in refugee settlements who depend on subsistence agriculture and casual labour.

He highlighted that 60 percent of beneficiaries of every community project shall be females, while 40 percent shall be males. Fifty percent of the beneficiaries of the community projects in every local government shall be refugees.

Tayebwa speaks out

“As a social protection advocate, I always take every opportunity to add a strong voice to how important it is to our society. We should be proud as a country because we have made significant strides, from the Senior Citizens Grant (SAGE) to new programs like the proposed National Child Disability Benefit,” said Tayebwa.

“The family structure and communities are no longer as we once knew them, especially where communities used to offer support to those who need it. I grew up with my grandmother, and she used to receive a lot of support from community members. I believe this was the same in many other communities. Since this no longer happens as before, we must strengthen social protection systems that secure the well-being of all Ugandans who need them,” explained Tayebwa.

Tayebwa also underscored the need for the government to increase the budgetary allocation of the National Child Disability Benefit to sh10b from the sh3b currently allocated in the budget.

Tayebwa asked the Ministry of Gender to budget for at least sh10b, as opposed to the proposed sh3b, to support families raising children with special needs.

“The role of Parliament will be to appropriate the funds as a priority, and we shall support this in the national budget,” explained Tayebwa.

"Helping children with disabilities is not a privilege; it is an equaliser. We are not giving extra; we are correcting what nature and society had denied them," said Tayebwa.

Tayebwa explained that sh3b is inadequate for the initiative, urging the government to commit at least sh10b to this new initiative aimed at supporting children with disabilities.

He emphasised that disability support is a right to equalise children with disabilities with able-bodied people and not a privilege.

Statistics of refugees in Uganda

Frank Walusimbi, spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Uganda and the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), said the total number of refugees and asylum seekers as of September 30, 2025, stood at 1,955,370. Of these, 1,914,626 are registered refugees, while 40,744 are asylum seekers.

This makes Uganda the largest refugee-hosting country in Africa. The majority of refugees are from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, comprising a mix of children, adults and asylum seekers.

By September 30, Isingiro had registered 280,511 refugees, while Madi Okollo and Terego districts had 272,355 refugees.