The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kiryandongo, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Refugee mothers in Kiryandongo refugee settlement are struggling to cope with the soaring prices of essential commodities.
Prices of commodities such as sugar, laundry soap, cooking oil, fuel, and food have been on the rise in the local market since the beginning of the year. But for South Sudanese refugees, the situation has been worsened by the already decreased food and cash rations they receive from the World Food Program-WFP.
The United Nations agency cut the monthly food and cash ration by 30 per cent in 2020 for refugees living in Uganda citing a shortfall in funding.
Alima Cinya, one of the South Sudan refugees at Kiryandongo refugee settlement says that the family had been living a comfortable life for the past eight years until a year ago when food and cash rations were cut and prices of commodities started rising. The single mother of four says they now survive on one meal a day and use salt sometimes instead of sugar to make porridge.
She says like her, many other mothers are facing the same challenges and can’t afford school fees and healthcare adding that some resort to using herbs to treat children which have claimed the lives of their children.
Rhoda Akec, another refugee says most food prices within the Kiryandongo refugee settlement have doubled or tripled recently leaving most vulnerable members unable to afford them. For instance, Akec cited a kilogram of rice which doubled from 4,000 to 8,000 Shillings while charcoal rose from 30,000 to 80,000 Shillings.
Prices of other commodities that have skyrocketed include sugar which is being sold at 4,000 Shillings a kilogram, a bar of blue and white laundry soap which goes for 5,000 and 10,000 Shillings respectively while maize floor is at 3,000 Shillings according to Akec.
Turyagenda Emmanuel, the Kiryandongo refugee settlement commandant acknowledges the plight of the refugees and notes that the reduced cash ration hasn’t affected all those living in the settlement.
He says cash and food ration are given out according to categories and phases citing that there are some refugees who are receiving 100 percent food and cash ration while others are on 75 and 50 percent.
According to Turyagenda, new arrivals and special cases are still being supported but those who have been in the country for over 20-years no longer receive such benefits since they are considered to have reached a stage of self-reliance. He also reveals that WFP is mooting plans to switch all refugees except elderly persons into cash rations instead of food rations by the end of this year.
Finance Minister Matia Kasaija during a press briefing late last month attributed the rising prices of commodities to ‘global’ factors and high transport costs of raw materials. He however said the government is not sleeping and is already looking at all sorts of ways to make sure the situation is brought to control.
The minister however noted that the government will not reduce taxes amidst the rising commodity prices.
“Even if we are to reduce the taxes, we have international global factors beyond our control, you won’t see the price coming down like that, removing taxes is double-edged and I can tell you it may not ultimately bring down the price,” Kasaija told journalists during the presser.
Uganda hosts some 1.5 million refugees with the majority, 964,960 being South Sudan refugees according to statistics from the Office of the Prime Minister-OPM.
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