Obongi District is hosting 144,463 refugees—nearly twice its host population of slightly over 72,000 people—raising concerns over increasing pressure on public services as humanitarian funding continues to decline.
The refugees are settled across five zones in Palorinya and Itula sub-counties, where 37 implementing partners, working alongside the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), provide services to both refugees and host communities.
Obongi District Woman Member of Parliament Harriet Joyo said declining donor support requires a shift from emergency humanitarian interventions to long-term development programmes that benefit both refugees and local communities.
“With the dwindling funding, all stakeholders must reorganise and plan accordingly to improve service delivery for both nationals and refugees. Obongi’s host population is only about 72,000 people, making this a unique situation where refugees outnumber the nationals,” Joyo said.
She noted that Uganda’s refugee response is increasingly moving towards self-reliance, with greater emphasis on integrating services for refugees and host communities.
Obongi County MP Hassan Kaps Fungaroo called on government agencies and humanitarian organisations to maximise the use of available resources amid reduced funding.
“Government and implementing partners must understand the development and livelihood challenges facing both refugees and host communities. With reduced funding, the available resources must be utilised carefully and without duplication of programmes,” he said.
According to Polyne Abina, the Refugee Desk Officer overseeing operations in Adjumani, Obongi and Lamwo districts under the Office of the Prime Minister, Palorinya remains an active refugee reception settlement.
She said six convoys carrying more than 1,000 South Sudanese asylum seekers were transferred from Adjumani to Palorinya between January and June this year.
Abina also revealed that a government policy introduced on February 26, 2026, ended the automatic recognition of new arrivals from South Sudan, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo as refugees under the prima facie system.
“Every new arrival now enters Uganda as an asylum seeker. Each individual is interviewed and their claim assessed before refugee status is granted,” she explained.
She warned that funding shortages have significantly affected humanitarian operations, including road maintenance, environmental protection, education, healthcare and food assistance, forcing agencies to reduce food rations.
Speaking during a two-day orientation visit by district leaders to Palorinya Refugee Settlement Base Camp last week, UNHCR official Paul Kenya urged stakeholders to strengthen resilience and coordination despite financial constraints.
The delegation, led by MPs Harriet Joyo and Hassan Kaps Fungaroo alongside district political and technical leaders, assessed the humanitarian situation and called for stronger collaboration between government, humanitarian agencies and development partners to sustain essential services and promote peaceful coexistence between refugees and host communities.