The Government of China, in collaboration with the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and Finn Church Aid (FCA), has delivered three tonnes of relief food to the Nakivale Refugee Settlement reception centre, in response to increasing pressure on Uganda’s refugee support system.
The intervention comes at a critical moment for the country’s humanitarian response, as a surge in new arrivals coincides with significant funding cuts from traditional Western donors, placing strain on reception facilities and aid delivery mechanisms.
The relief package forms part of the first phase of the newly launched Humanitarian Assistance Grant Project, targeting vulnerable families fleeing escalating instability and violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.
The food supplies consist of essential nutritional staples intended to support families currently held at the reception centre as they await formal processing and allocation of land under Uganda’s long-standing open-door refugee policy.
“The pressure on our reception centres is immense. This support is not just about calories; it’s about maintaining the dignity of people who have lost everything,” said Steven Jogoo, Refugee Desk Officer for the Western Region at the Office of the Prime Minister.
Nakivale Refugee Settlement, one of the oldest and largest in Africa, is increasingly under strain as Uganda continues to host one of the world’s largest refugee populations.
While the country is widely recognised for its progressive refugee integration model, officials say sustainability is becoming a major concern amid declining global funding.
Humanitarian agencies, including the World Food Programme (WFP), have been forced to reduce food rations due to resource constraints, raising fears over service delivery in overcrowded settlements.
Steven Ssenkima, Deputy Country Director of Finn Church Aid, said the initiative is part of a broader $1 million commitment from China aimed at addressing urgent humanitarian gaps.
“We officially kick off the implementation of China’s $1 million cash emergency humanitarian assistance for refugees sheltered in Uganda,” Ssenkima said.
He added that the support will include high-nutrition food, hygiene supplies, and other essential items targeting women, children, and the elderly who are among the most vulnerable.
Chinese Ambassador to Uganda Fan Xuecheng said the project reflects Beijing’s continued support for Uganda’s development and stability efforts, while also extending assistance to humanitarian response.
He noted that the initiative takes an integrated approach focusing on psychosocial support, community engagement, and social cohesion to strengthen resilience among refugees and host communities.
“While China has long supported Uganda’s development agenda, this project marks an important step in extending that support to humanitarian response efforts and a commitment to teach how to fish, not just giving fish,” Fan said.
UNHCR Sub-Office Head Roger Hollo acknowledged that without continued external support, the growing pressure on settlements like Nakivale could threaten existing infrastructure and service delivery systems.
Uganda currently hosts more than 1.95 million refugees, with numbers continuing to rise. For thousands arriving daily at Nakivale, the latest food delivery offers only a brief reprieve in an increasingly strained humanitarian landscape.
