Dr. Frank Ahimbisibwe - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Dr. Frank Ahimbisibwe

Social Science Research Network, 2019

Background: Uganda’s government embraced private provision of social services including health ca... more Background: Uganda’s government embraced private provision of social services including health care. The involvement of private providers is an indicator that the public facilities are not sufficient enough to meet the high demands of the ever-increasing population. This has been done through partnership arrangements. This paper discusses the impact of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) on health care outcomes of the local population and opportunities for improving health outcomes, challenges facing private providers in a low-income setting like Uganda. Methodology: This was a qualitative study, data were collected using qualitative methods in January 2017 through interview (using semi-structured questions) at Ruharo Mission Hospital (RMH) administration, health workers, district health office and used a structured questionnaire for patients/clients. This was a nascent study, with a sample size of 22 respondents. The hospital has three departments; Organized Useful Rehabilitation Services (OURS), General Medical Services (GMS) and Eye Department (ED). All the departments of the hospital were represented in this study. Results: The hospital is a Church of Uganda founded, and runs a budget of 5 billion shillings ($ 1,351,351.4) annually, has multiple sources of funding including PHC funding annually and that, health services were delivered adequately to clients. Much as some services were accessed at no costs, other services like eye treatment were found expensive on the side of clients. The hospital’s hybrid mode of delivering health services through outreaches and facility-based services was cherished, however it had no ambulance and relied only on a hospital van. Conclusions and Recommendations: Our study concludes that if private providers are supported under the partnership arrangement, they can adequately deliver services to the clients and decongest the public facilities. We recommend that the government devote more funds to support the hospital through employing more sub-seconded staff, procuring medicines, and ambulances to enable it to subsidize services especially eye treatment and other services not supported under the partnership.

Journal of Youth Studies

The political participation of youth is growing in importance with the proliferation of youth par... more The political participation of youth is growing in importance with the proliferation of youth parliaments, councils, and online campaigning. Yet, these sites are not accessible to all youth, especially those from minority, or refugee communities. Activism by these types of youth is often denounced or reduced to dehumanising narratives of their experiences. This paper aims to explore alternative spaces for and political participation of refugees through participatory art and exhibition spaces, which are critical for devising policies for pre-emptive peacebuilding and challenging potential intercommunal conflict. In this paper, we draw on a Photovoice project in Istanbul, Johannesburg and a refugee settlement in SouthWest Uganda (Oruchinga) that brought youth from FDPs and host communities together to reflect on their everyday experiences. All these sites are marked by increasing anti-refugee sentiments and xenophobia, where the voices of refugees are often denied and misinterpreted, making them compelling cases to elaborate on alternative participation methods and spaces for the political participation of refugees. The paper engages with the idea of epistemic (in)justice and resistance as an overarching condition to explore how the youth developed collective political voices.

Institute of Development Policy Working Paper, 2023

Rwanda enacted the 1966 presidential decree on the reintegration of refugees and later the 1984 m... more Rwanda enacted the 1966 presidential decree on the reintegration of refugees and later the 1984 ministerial decree on identity papers for refugees as its first laws in dealing with refugees. However, the above decrees were meant for regulating the reintegration of Rwandan refugees returning from exile. The first law to deal with refugees from other countries was enacted in 2001 and later modified and complemented by a 2006 Law. In 2003 a new Constitution (amended in 2015) with a comprehensive Bill of Rights was promulgated. Because of these developments, it was necessary to enact a new law and make it fully compatible with Rwanda’s national, regional and international obligations. As a result, in May 2014, Rwanda passed the Law Relating to Refugees which integrates its obligations into the refugee legal regime. This article critically reviews the 2014 Law Relating to Refugees and Rwanda’s refugee obligations in light of its international human rights obligations. The article argues that the 2014 Law substantially reflects Rwanda’s international and regional obligations under the relevant refugee and human rights instruments, but finds that some gaps, such as the non-recognition of environmental refugees, a weak appeals mechanism and the need to clarify the role of the department in charge of immigration and emigration in reviewing asylum applications.

Institute of Development Policy Working Paper, 2023

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has taken a role of responding to forced mi... more The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has taken a role of responding to forced migration in the Horn of Africa where wars, conflicts and disasters have generated refugees, asylum seekers, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and returnees. This role is within the context of the 2016 United Nations (UN) New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants (NYD), the Comprehensive Refugee Response Forum (CRRF) and the 2018 Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) that call for a multi-stakeholder comprehensive approach to forced displacement. The paper argues that IGAD’s emerging policy frameworks and mechanisms like the 2019 Kampala Declaration on Jobs, Livelihoods, and Self-Reliance for Refugees, Returnees, and Host Communities, the 2017 Nairobi Declaration on Durable Solutions for Somali Refugees and the Djibouti Declaration of the Regional Ministerial Conference on Refugee Education show the potential and prospects of an authority willing to play an active role in responding to forced migration. Moreover, IGAD can tap into its regional diplomacy, political leverage and ability to mobilize support from member states. Also, IGAD was recognized at the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) organized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other stakeholders in 2019 for its role in supporting the NYD, CRRF and GCR. However, a number of obstacles pose a danger to undermining the organization’s efforts, including the nature of the refugee problem, constraints of member states and the authority’s limitations like declarations not legally binding, capacity gaps, the authority being more of a convener than an implementer and limited consultations of member states. IGAD is likely to fail if these obstacles are not addressed.

Society

The question of how socioeconomic situations in and around refugees' settlement in Uganda affect ... more The question of how socioeconomic situations in and around refugees' settlement in Uganda affect their motivation and attitudes towards integration has not been clearly addressed in the literature. To address this gap, this study explores the integration framework, and uses thematic and content analysis to analyse data collected via in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The study finds that access to socioeconomic factors such as livelihood opportunities and social services, especially education and health, can either motivate and positively affect refugees' attitudes, or demotivate and negatively affect refugees' attitudes towards integration in the host community. Other motivating factors were family history and success stories of refugees who were successfully integrated in the host community. Suggestions for improving refugee integration included empowerment in vocational skills, access to grants and loans, access to land for agriculture, and access to labour market. These require greater cooperation among different stakeholders, including policy makers, nongovernmental organisations, international organisations, and governments, to coalesce resources and buttress integration of refugees in the host society.

ASC TUFS Working Paper, 2022

Since 2002, Uganda has been trying to find a durable solution to the Rwandan refugee issue withou... more Since 2002, Uganda has been trying to find a durable solution to the Rwandan refugee issue without success. Despite various attempts at (in)voluntary repatriation, the majority refuse to return. Resettlement is not possible, and local integration is yet to be explored. Simultaneously, the recommendation for the cessation of refugee status by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has not addressed the problem. We analysed the prospects and challenges of granting East African citizenship to Rwandan refugees by issuing East African Community (EAC) passports or residence permits that would give them freedom of mobility, residence, and employment in the EAC in accordance with the Common Market Protocol. Searching for a durable solution at the EAC level comes at a time when efforts to establish the East African federation continue. This has the potential to end one of the most protracted refugee situations, promoting the rights of Rwandan refugees, and enhancing people-centred regional integration.

Afriche e orienti, 2020

By April 2020, Uganda was one of the top refugee hosting countries in the world and the largest i... more By April 2020, Uganda was one of the top refugee hosting countries in the world and the largest in Africa with over 1.4 million refugees. Uganda has been generally described as being friendly to refugees and in 2006 passed a law, the Refugees Act, which has internationally been recognized as a progressive law. However, there is a discrepancy between the provisions of the Act and the country's practice. This article analyzes this discrepancy and the factors behind it by focusing on specific provisions of the Act. It further situates the Act within the broader constitutional context and analyzes the legal framework and practice of naturalization of refugees. In particular, the analysis shows that diplomatic relationships between Uganda and the countries from which refugees flee play a crucial role in determining how refugees are treated and to what extent they are allowed to access their rights.

Journal of Politics and Law

The paper analyzes the challenge of physical (in) security of Rwandan refugees in Nakivale and Or... more The paper analyzes the challenge of physical (in) security of Rwandan refugees in Nakivale and Oruchinga settlements, South Western Uganda. The paper is largely based on the views of the refugees themselves. It argues that contrary to her international obligations and the general view that Uganda is a hospitable asylum country, refugees face insecurity caused by a number of factors, including actions by their country of origin and the host state, as well as local settlement dynamics and internal sources. This insecurity has negatively affected the refugees, who have adopted a number of protection measures which supplement the ones put in place by the government and UNHCR. Despite the implementation of different security measures, insecurity still prevails in the settlements.

Journal of Internal Displacement, Aug 24, 2021

Previous studies have treated oil-induced displacement, women's livelihood, and the environment a... more Previous studies have treated oil-induced displacement, women's livelihood, and the environment at separatee issue. No major study has paid full attention to the relationship between oil-induced displacement, the livelihoods of women, and the impact of resettlement compensation environment in Albertine graben, Uganda. This article examines the appropriateness and effectiveness of resettlement compensation, women's sources of livelihood before and after resettlement, and the effects of women's livelihoods on the environment. Adopting a phenomenological research design to acquire lived experiences of participants before and after resettlement, the data was collected over a three-year period between 2016 and 2019. Data collection methods included in-depth interviews with twenty-seven affected women, two focus group discussions (FGD), documentary review, and an observation method. The findings indicate that failure to effectively implement resettlement programs with a focus on environmental protection has an interminable and adverse effect on most women and future generations' environs. Results further indicate that resettlement activities resulted into the loss of women's former livelihoods. This loss of livelihoods forced women to exploit and degrade the environment in their newly resettled communities. The paper concludes that severe signs of environmental degradation caused by resettlement programs may be avoidable especially when women custodians of the environment are provided with the emergence means to sustain their daily livelihoods. It is recommended that compensation and resettlement programs should consider immediate and emergence assistance for the post resettlement phase of those affected by oil-induced displacement in Albertine Graben.

Institute of Development Policy Discussion Paper/2017.02, Dec 1, 2017

Despite multiple attempts over the last 15 years, Uganda has been unable to find a durable soluti... more Despite multiple attempts over the last 15 years, Uganda has been unable to find a durable solution for a group of approximately 17,000 Rwandan refugees living on its soil. The cessation of their refugee status has been repeatedly postponed and is about to come into effect at the end of December 2017. If invoked, Rwandan refugees will become illegal immigrants under Ugandan law and can face deportation. This paper argues instead that a policy facilitating local integration in the host country, even if not perfect, offers the best outlook for many Rwandan refugees currently residing in Uganda. In addition, taking into account the voices of these Rwandan refugees themselves, the paper analyses which obstacles still need to be overcome before local integration can be a real durable solution. Two suggestions are made. First, it is needed to move towards a situation of inclusive development for both refugee and host populations in order to guarantee socio-economic integration and avoid potential xenophobia and resentment. Second, Uganda’s conflicting laws need to be addressed in order for refugees to
acquire citizenship, an essential dimension of local integration as a durable solution.

International Relations and Diplomacy, 2019

Uganda hosts refugees from neighboring countries including Rwanda. According to United Nations Hi... more Uganda hosts refugees from neighboring countries including Rwanda. According to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), by the end of 2018, Uganda was the 3rd and 1st top refugee hosting country in the world and Africa respectively. It hosted over 1.2 million refugees. In 2003, a tripartite agreement was signed to repatriate 25,000 Rwandan refugees. Only 850 of them accepted to return and many of them came back almost immediately to Uganda claiming insecurity and human rights violations in Rwanda. The Rwandan repatriation was not devoid of politics. It was influenced by political interests of various actors: the international community, regional geo-politics, Uganda, and Rwanda. This article analyzes the politics of repatriation of Rwandan refugees by focusing on politics at international and regional levels as well as in Uganda and Rwanda.

International Journal of Social Science Studies, 2018

Background: Uganda’s government has embraced private provision of social services including healt... more Background: Uganda’s government has embraced private provision of social services including health care. The involvement of private providers is an indicator that the public facilities are not sufficient enough to meet the high demands of the ever-increasing population. This has been done through partnership arrangements. This paper discusses the impact of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in health care outcomes of the local population and opportunities for improving health outcomes, challenges facing private providers in a low income setting.Methodology: Data were collected using qualitative methods in January 2017 through interview (using semi-structured questions) at Ruharo Mission Hospital (RMH) administration, health workers, district health office and used a structured questionnaire for patients/clients. This was a nascent study, with a sample size of 22 respondents. The hospital has three departments; Organized Useful Rehabilitation Services (OURS), General Medical Services (...

US-China Law Review, 2016

Uganda is a host country to refugees from neighboring countries including Rwanda. According to UN... more Uganda is a host country to refugees from neighboring countries including Rwanda. According to UNHCR, by the end of 2015, Uganda was the 8 th and 3 rd top refugee hosting country in the world and Africa respectively. It hosted over 500,000 refugees. This number had increased to over 1 million by February 2017. Although Uganda has been praised world wide as being friendly to refugees, its policy and treatment of refugees and asylum seekers has been inconsistent with international obligations. There is a discrepancy between the rights refugees are entitled to under international and municipal law, and the ones they enjoy in practice. This article analyzes this discrepancy. It focuses on specific rights like nondiscrimination, life, asylum, liberty and security of person and the principle of non-refoulement. The paper inquires into the factors behind Uganda's violation of refugee rights.

Book Chapter in Indian Society of International Law (ISIL) Year Book of International Humanitarian & Refugee Law, 2021

Uganda is a host country to refugees from neighboring countries including Rwanda. By the end of 2... more Uganda is a host country to refugees from neighboring countries including Rwanda. By the end of 2015, Uganda was the 8th and 3rd top refugee hosting country in the world and Africa respectively with around 512,968 refugees on its soil. This number had increased to over 900,000 by December 2016. By May 2017, Uganda was the second refugee hosting country in the world, with over 1.2 million refugees. Although Uganda has been praised world wide as being friendly to refugees, its policy and treatment of Rwandan refugees has been inconsistent with international obligations. There is a discrepancy between the rights they are entitled to under international and municipal law and the ones they enjoy in practice. This article analyzes this discrepancy from the refugees’ point of view by focusing on specific rights like non-discrimination, life, asylum, liberty and security of person and the principle of non-refoulement. The paper inquires into the factors behind Uganda’s violation of Rwandan refugee rights and proposes measures for enhancing the protection of their rights.

Institute of Development Policy and Management (IOB), University of Antwerp, Working Paper , May 1, 2018

Uganda is one of the top refugee hosting countries in Africa and the world. It has been praised ... more Uganda is one of the top refugee hosting countries in Africa and the world. It has
been praised as a generous country with progressive refugee policies and laws that reflect the country’s national, regional and international obligations. However, a number of challenges ranging from increasing refugee numbers, protracted refugee situations, the burden of hosting of refugees, to limited resources and little international support threaten Uganda’s hospitality. This article looks at the major refugee protection challenges that confront Uganda. It further addresses some of the emerging opportunities which if seized could provide effective protection to the refugees. Finally, the paper concludes with policy implications.

This book is an outcome of a study that was carried out on refugees and host communities in Ising... more This book is an outcome of a study that was carried out on refugees and host communities in Isingiro District, South Western Uganda. The study specifically assesses the causes of land conflicts between refugees and the host communities and the sources of their livelihoods. The book explores the effects of land conflicts on livelihoods and analyses the interventions towards resolving the land conflicts and improving livelihoods. The analysis reveals that land conflicts are very rampant between refugees and host communities caused by a number of factors. These land conflicts have affected refugees-host communities' livelihoods. Despite the interventions by the Uganda Government and humanitarian agencies, land conflicts are far from being resolved. This empirical study serves as a basis for policy formulation and change as well as programme design and intervention. Insights from this book are relevant to governments especially those hosting refugees, humanitarian agencies, NGOs and...

East African Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2019

In the last thirteen years since the discovery of oil and gas resources in Uganda, numerous devel... more In the last thirteen years since the discovery of oil and gas resources in Uganda, numerous developments have taken place to pave way for the development of oil and gas sector which necessitated land acquisition. In response, interventions such as cash compensation, partial land acquisition and resettlement were undertaken. The lacuna for this study is that, there is limited research that focuses on the experiences of women in oil-induced land dispossession, compensation and resettlement in relation to their reliance on the land for livelihood. This paper, therefore, aims at evaluating these experiences on land compensation dispossession for oil and gas development activities and the impact on women’s livelihoods in Albertine region. A phenomenological study research design was adopted through multimethod such as in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, covert observation and documentary evidence. Purposive sampling was used to select women in categories and snowball sampling t...

This book is a result of the study that was conducted on the strategies used by universities in p... more This book is a result of the study that was conducted on the strategies used by universities in preventing HIV infection among undergraduate students using the case study of Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) Uganda. The study specifically establishes the strategies used by MUST to prevent HIV infection among undegraduate students, assesses the effectiveness of the MUST strategies in preventing HIV and explores the challenges faced by MUST in preventing HIV. The findings reveal that MUST uses a number of strategies like bahavioral change strategies like abstinence, being faithful and consistent and correct use of condoms, HIV/AIDS education and awareness, the Peer Project and collaboration with other organizations like AIDS Information Center, TASO, Marie Stopes and Mbarara Blood Bank. The above strategies have their own short comings like the HIV Institutional Policy which is not well disseminated to both students and staff. The university faces a number of challen...

Social Science Research Network, 2019

Journal of Youth Studies

Institute of Development Policy Working Paper, 2023

Society

ASC TUFS Working Paper, 2022

Afriche e orienti, 2020

Journal of Politics and Law

Journal of Internal Displacement, Aug 24, 2021

Institute of Development Policy Discussion Paper/2017.02, Dec 1, 2017

International Relations and Diplomacy, 2019

International Journal of Social Science Studies, 2018

US-China Law Review, 2016

Book Chapter in Indian Society of International Law (ISIL) Year Book of International Humanitarian & Refugee Law, 2021

Institute of Development Policy and Management (IOB), University of Antwerp, Working Paper , May 1, 2018

East African Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2019

ABSTRACT This study critically analyzes the role of Uganda as a host state in providing the secur... more ABSTRACT
This study critically analyzes the role of Uganda as a host state in providing the security of Rwandan refugees in Nakivale settlement. The study specifically assesses the status of refugee security and state obligations under refugee and human rights law, the protection and practice of refugees’ physical security, protection and practice of legal security of refugees and durable solutions as tools for refugee protection and addressing the Rwandan refugee problem.

The study used a case study research design. Purposive sampling was used to select Rwandan refugees. Purposive sampling was also used to select refugee welfare council members, Uganda government and humanitarian officials. The host population was selected using stratified and simple random sampling. In-depth interviews, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, observation and documentary evidence were used as methods of data collection. Data was analyzed qualitatively using thematic and content analysis.

The study found that Rwandan refugees face physical and legal insecurity. They are threatened by their country of origin, the host state, local sources and other causes. It was further found that a number of physical protection measures were adopted in the settlement by the refugees, the host state and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). However, despite the adoption of these measures, physical insecurity is still prevalent in Nakivale settlement. The study findings revealed that refugees are aware of their rights and obligations. The majority of these refugees were able to mention their rights mainly life, food, security, non-refoulement and education. It was found that the rights to life, security and liberty of person, non-discrimination, right to asylum as well as the prohibition of forced repatriation were violated.

The study assesses the cessation of refugee status for the Rwanda refugee situation and found that conditions in Rwanda and Uganda did not favor the declaration of cessation of refugee status. Voluntary repatriation failed to address the Rwandan refugee problem. Rwandan refugees were opposed to repatriation due to a number of reasons such as the fear of “Gacaca”, “ibuka”, failure to recover land and property, harassment and imprisonment and the fact that the reasons for their well- founded fear of persecution were still present in Rwanda. It was found that resettlement was irrelevant to the Rwandan refugee problem due to limited resettlement quotas/opportunities available for the refugees. Local integration was found to be the most favored durable solution. Local integration may prove difficult at least for the time being because of incompatible laws mainly between the 1995 Constitution and the 1999 Citizenship and Immigrations Act.

This study concludes that in order to ensure refugee security, Uganda needs to harmonize her incompatible domestic laws and make it possible for Rwandan refugees to be legally integrated with full rights of citizenship. Furthermore, there is need to address the root causes of the refugee problem in Rwanda through political, legal, social and economic reforms. This can be achieved through peaceful resolution of conflicts, practical de-ethnicization, respect for human rights and political liberties, politics of inclusion and regional integration.