Protecting the rights of urban refugees in Uganda

The number of refugees in the world has increased over the past decade, with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) pegging the number around 19.5 million in 2014 as compared to 15 million in 2013. The numbers of refugees residing in urban areas have also increased dramatically in recent years. Barbour confirms that majority of the world¿s refugees are now residing in non-camp settings with the number of urban refugees rising above those in the settlements. In Africa, cities such as Kampala (Uganda), Nairobi (Kenya), Khartoum (Sudan), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Cairo (Egypt), Johannesburg (South Africa) and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) are home to thousands of refugees. Mostly, refugees in Sub-Saharan Africa are generally camped. This is reinforced by the perception held by most African governments that refugees are threat to development and security because they strive with the locals for jobs, increase living standards and raises crime rates. Kibreab observes that most African governments interpret the problems in their urban areas as being exacerbated by the presence of urban refugees who exert pressure on the limited job opportunities and public services.