Minister Engola Issues Strong Warning Against Corruption in Refugee Registration at Kiryandongo Settlement
The Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness, and Refugees, Sam Engola, has warned against corrupt practices during the registration and documentation of refugees and asylum seekers.
Engola sounded the warning on Wednesday while addressing Muslim refugees at the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement. He was speaking at an event of launching the distribution of six tons of relief food and the official handover of six mosques (built at a cost of UGX 54 million each), a two-classroom block for madrasa pupils, and a rainwater harvesting tank.
The donations were provided by LISA (Supporting and Sustaining Lives) with funding from Muslim Charity UK.
Engola noted that those who settled in Uganda did not do so by choice, but rather to escape conflict and secure their safety. He called upon officials from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and other humanitarian partners to treat refugees with dignity.
He emphasized the need for transparent, corrupt-free registration and documentation, adequate provision of food relief and basic necessities to the Refugees.
He also urged refugees to embrace voluntary repatriation to their home countries where possible. This, he explained, would allow the government and humanitarian organizations to maximize their shrinking budget to care for those who cannot return due to ongoing conflict.
"President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has guided that those refugees who can return to their countries should do so if peace prevails. However, Eritrean refugees can continue to stay, as the President noted that conditions do not yet allow for their return," Engola said.
He added that the government has so far repatriated between 1,900 and 2,000 refugees from Khartoum out of the 96,000 it is currently hosting.
Addressing infrastructure challenges within the settlements, Engola revealed that Phase II of the Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project (DRDIP II)—a $328 million World Bank–funded initiative—will launch in October 2026 to resolve these issues.
In her remarks, the Board Chairperson of LISA, Hon. Dr. Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi, noted that refugees in the settlement previously lacked proper places of worship and community shelter, prompting their collaboration with Muslim Charity UK.
She added that they had previously supported refugees with seed capital and vocational skills training in tailoring, baking, and soap making to help them become self-reliant.
The Kiryandongo District Qadhi, Sheikh Suleiman Bayo, commended LISA for its support to Muslim refugees, affirming that the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council remains open to partnerships that aid those in need.
Similarly, the Imam of Masjid Abu Bakr Siddiq, Sheriff Mohammed Abakar, urged beneficiaries to take proper care of the new facilities and ensure they are well utilized.
In total, the infrastructure built by LISA with support from Muslim Charity UK—which includes Masjid Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, Masjid Abu Bakr Siddiq, Madrasa Abu Bakr Siddiq, and water harvesting tanks cost over UGX 350 million.
Meanwhile, the Commandant of the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, Mr. Amaruma Manza Vincent, reported that the 27-square-kilometer settlement is currently home to 169,800 refugees from 15 countries, the majority of whom are women.
Amaruma noted that while the settlement actively works with 68 partner organizations across various sectors of refugee response, they continue to face critical operational hurdles, including human resource gaps, transport logistics constraints, inadequate security personnel, and limited base camp infrastructure.
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