Socioeconomic status and livelihoods of refugees in a self-reliance situation in Kyangwali refugee settlement

Abstract

The need to establish the Socioeconomic status of refugees in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement under the new and stringent condition of self-reliance necessitated this study. Using expenditure levels as a proxy to determine income in socioeconomic status categorisation, three classifications were derived: thriving for the high income group, managing for the moderate income group and surviving for the low income group, each with distinctive characteristics. Most of the refugees (76.7%) were found to be of low socioeconomic status or simply surviving, and only 4.3% were found to be thriving, reflecting a high proportion of the poor. The study indicated a significant relationship between refugees’ household size and socioeconomic status   =(37.539,p=0.000>0.05). The study concluded that the self-reliance strategy as implemented in the settlement has not significantly transformed the standards of living of the refugees as indicated by the large numbers in the low socioeconomic status, the surviving. The study therefore recommends the refinement of the agricultural requirement of the strategy and the creation of an environment that will allow for pursuance of alternative sources of income to diversify livelihoods and ultimately improve the well-being of refugees in the settlement.