Uganda has a for many years been hosting refugees from its neighboring countries. Ethiopians, Eritreans, Sudanese, Congolese, Rwandese and recently also Burundian refugees, fleeing war, violence or persecution in their home countries, have all found shelter in Uganda. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Uganda is currently hosting more than 500 000 people, making it the third largest refugee-hosting country in Africa after Kenya and Ethiopia.
Refugees in Uganda are allowed to work, settle their own businesses and have the same rights as Ugandan citizens, and the UNHCR Representative to Uganda, Neimah Warsame, has praised Uganda for its ‘outstanding generosity and hospitality” towards refugees. Two weeks ago the 8 radio stations in the Set the Agenda campaign asked Ugandans from across the country their opinions about refugees. "What should be done about the large amount of refugees in Uganda?" turned out to be one of the most popular poll questions to date, with close to 4000 people from across the country sending in their answer.
The answers show that, while many Ugandans are very positive to the large amount of refugees in the country, there are also many who are a bit more skeptical. 40% of respondents said "we have a moral obligation to shelter refugees", and only 17% answered "we should expel refugees because they are taking Ugandan jobs". However, a total of 43% believe that Uganda should limit or restrict the amount of refugees - either because of Uganda has limited resources for its own population, or because the country is taking in far more refugees than most other African countries.
Together with local media partners, Trac FM identifies and formulates questions regarding public services, the survey questions are later broadcasted on radio and people send in SMS participating in the poll questions free of charge, incoming SMS reports are visualized in smart graphic designs and relayed within seconds for radio presenters to update listeners on survey results.
What should be done about the large amount of refugees in Uganda?
