“The majority of citizens (68%) indicate that securing necessities for their households has become increasingly challenging over the past 5-10 years…Those from lower-income backgrounds and rural areas, particularly in the Eastern and Northern regions of the country, are slightly more likely to report hardship in securing necessities. This struggle is prevalent across households, regardless of their level of reliance on agriculture for sustenance and income,” the report revealed.
Sixty-eight per cent of Ugandans can barely fend for themselves as they struggle to afford the bare necessities of life and have done so for the last five to ten years, says a Sauti za Wananchi report by Twaweza, a non-governmental organisation that tracks citizen’s views on a broad swath of issues.
Children at Oromi IDP camp, Kitgum District, northern Uganda pic by The New Humanitarian
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Climatic changes (22%) and low crop yields (15%), an increase in the price of commodities (9%), and low income (9%), are some of the reasons for the deteriorating standards of living and rising costs of living, says the report.
“These different responses highlight that individual citizens and households face different circumstances according to a range of factors… However, this should not disguise the fact that overall, citizens report that making a living is becoming harder,” the report adds.
Other reasons for the increased difficulty in Ugandans securing their basic needs are a dearth of employment opportunities, a Sahara of capital for investment, declining education, and widespread corruption among others as the leading causes of poverty, notes the report.
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The report provides a solution to ameliorate this situation in the shape of the government’s increased capital investment and a willful effort to re-route corruption on wheels down the road less travelled, paved by penalties for those involved in it and rewards for those against it.
“The macro figures look impressive but we have found out that these figures do not normally translate into better lives of the individuals. People are still struggling with things like rent, school fees, and medical bills among others. And these have hurt their daily lives,” said Marie Marie Hilda Nanyanzi, a Senior Program Officer at Twaweza in charge of Sauti za Wananchi.
She concedes that although indeed many Ugandans are now part of the money market, most of their incomes are nullified by the high cost of living
