Uganda: Tayebwa asks European Union (EU) to help close Uganda’s refugee funding gap

The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, has called on the European Union to increase funding for Uganda’s refugee response, warning that declining humanitarian support is placing growing pressure on public services and communities hosting more than two million refugees and asylum-seekers. Tayebwa made the appeal while meeting Members of the European Parliament, Hon. Tineke Strik and Hon. Anna Strolenberg, visiting the country to understand the country’s refugee policies and explore ways of strengthening cooperation between Uganda and the EU on refugee management. The meeting was held at Parliament Building on Monday, 21 September 2026. Uganda’s 2026 refugee response plan requires about $850 million, but only 12 per cent of the required funding has so far been provided by international partners, according to figures cited by Tayebwa. He said the funding shortfall is increasingly affecting the government’s ability to provide services to refugees and the Ugandan communities that host them. “All this is happening at a time when there is a decline in funding,” Tayebwa said. He said the pressure is being felt within government institutions responsible for refugee management, pa