The Indigenous World 2026: Uganda

Written on 22 April 2026. Posted in Uganda

Indigenous Peoples in Uganda include former hunter-gatherer communities such as the Benet and the Batwa. They also include minority groups such as the Ik, and the Karamojong and Basongora pastoralists, who are not recognized specifically as Indigenous Peoples by the government.

The Benet, who number slightly over 8,500, live in the north-eastern part of Uganda. The 6,700 or so Batwa live primarily in the south-western region and were dispossessed of their ancestral land when Bwindi and Mgahinga forests were gazetted as national parks in 1991.^[1] The Ik number some 13,939 and live on the edge of the Karamoja/Turkana region along the Uganda/Kenya border. The Karamojong people – whose economy is traditionally based on livestock – live in the north-east of the country (mainly drylands) and have an estimated population of 1,094,100,^[2] according to a mid-2018 estimate by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics. The Basongora number around 15,000 people and are a cattle-herding community living in the lowlands adjacent to Mt. Rwenzori in Western Uganda.

All these communities have a common experience of State-induced landlessness and historical injustices caused by the creation of conservation areas in Uganda, in addition to mining interests in the case of Karamoja. They have experienced various human rights violations, including continued forced evictions and/or exclusions from ancestral lands without community consultation, consent or adequate (if any) compensation. Other violations include violence and destruction of homes and property, including livestock and denial of their means of subsistence and of their cultural and religious life through their exclusion from ancestral lands and natural resources. All these violations have resulted in their continued impoverishment, social and political exploitation, and marginalization.    

The 1995 Constitution offers no express protection for Indigenous Peoples but article 32 places a mandatory duty on the State to take affirmative action in favour of groups that have been historically disadvantaged and discriminated against. This provision, which was initially designed and envisaged to deal with the historical disadvantages of children, people with disabilities and women, is the basic legal source of affirmative action in favour of Indigenous Peoples in Uganda.^[3] The Land Act of 1998 and the National Environment Statute of 1995 protect customary interests in land and traditional uses of forests. However, these laws also authorize the government to exclude human activities in any forest area by declaring it a protected area, thus nullifying the customary land rights of Indigenous Peoples.^[4]   

Uganda has never ratified ILO Convention No. 169, which guarantees the rights of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in independent states, and it was absent from the voting on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in 2007.

This article is part of the 40^th edition of The Indigenous World, a yearly overview produced by IWGIA that serves to document and report on the developments Indigenous Peoples have experienced. Find The Indigenous World 2026 in full here

The Ik people of Uganda: conflict, peace and security situation

The security in and around Ik territory in 2025 remained fragile, and was most violent in the areas of Kalapata, Lotim, Kathile, Morungole, Timu, and Kamion subcounties, especially the mining site of Mutunan in Timu bordering Turkana County to the east. There were robberies, murders, and killings targeting women, boda boda bike riders (motorcycle taxi riders), and small artisanal miners in Ik, and small-scale traders moving services between the subcounties of Ik County. Key security threats included armed violence between Turkana and Dodoth pastoralists and the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF), land conflicts linked to protected conservation areas, especially the forest cover areas/reserves of Timu and Morungole, climate-induced food insecurity affecting the neighbouring households, and intermittent tensions with Dodoth and Turkana pastoralists over access to water, grazing land, and forests.

Small businesses owned by women and men, such as retail shops, artisanal gold mining and sales faced security hindrances in the form of laid ambushes, robberies targeting service suppliers of goods, and the rape of women in the mines, creating tension and threatening the growth of these Ik businesses. A few such events experienced in 2025 were:

• In April 2025, at least two Ik were killed at the Mutunan gold mining site by unknown assailants, attacked on grounds of being Ik peace agents.
• In May 2025, one Turkana woman was killed by unknown gunmen in Kamion subcounty while she was travelling to Kamion trading centre.
• In August 2025, a violent eviction of Ik people from Pire, in the Morungole forest reserve by the National Forest Authority and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), resulted in the Ik losing their food reserves and the gold they had mined at Pire site.

Responses by the authorities and Ik community

Due to the heightened insecurity involving armed violence, the local authorities – including the Uganda People’s Defence Force – engaged in peace dialogues with local communities so that they could report those suspected of committing crimes to local security officers.

• In October 2025, a joint peace security dialogue community meeting was held in Kalapata subcounty where communities identified criminals and areas where they were hiding out. The meeting was supported by the Karamoja Peace and Development Agency (KAPDA).
• In November 2025, a cross-border road from Morungole, Uganda to Nikush and Kapoeta, South Sudan was opened through the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to facilitate the trade of livestock and agricultural products, thus promoting peace through cultural exchange, trade and knowledge sharing among people across the border.
• In December 2025, the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), in partnership with Warriors Squad Foundation, a local NGO working in Karamoja, opened a police station in Timu subcounty to facilitate a quick response to conflicts and armed violence in the Timu and Kalapata areas of Kaabong District.

The situation of the Karamojong pastoralists

In 2025, a resurgence of armed and violent insecurity rocked most parts of Karamoja subregion. This was characterized by cattle rustling, road ambushes, robberies, and killings of traders by armed warriors. The violence was rife in parts of Kaabong, Abim, Kotido and Nabilatuk Districts. It affected teachers, travellers, boda boda bike riders and businesspeople. In Kotido District, cattle rustling has turned into a commercial practice, involving collaboration with other actors, and corrupt local security officials. The source of ammunitions, including military uniforms used by robbers at night, makes it difficult for local people to distinguish between them and security officers.[5]

And yet President Museveni has declared that cattle rustling in Karamoja is being “permanently defeated” and that the security situation has improved significantly for businesses to be able to operate in the region. The UPDF has sustained “Operation Usalama kwa Wote”, a violent and ruthless security programme aimed at imprisoning and shooting to kill people in possession of illegal firearms, and burning the confiscated firearms. Its additional task was to recover raided cattle, if stolen.

Local leaders indicate that poverty, high unemployment, and the presence of small arms are continuing to fuel periodic conflicts in the region and state that they do not want to conclude that insecurity affecting pastoralists has been defeated because, due to porous borders, armed gangs are continuing to enter Uganda.[6]

Integrated Food Security Phase Classification

The food insecurity projection of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) 2025 indicated that IPC phase 3 crisis was likely to persist due to imminent drought and that this was expected to potentially spark cattle rustling, land conflicts and violence among households and local communities over limited resources.[7]

Key insecurity events

• Kamacharikol centre, Kathile south subcounty in Kaabong District: In February 2025, armed thugs suspected of being local deserted soldiers attacked a trading centre, assaulting residents and looting shops. One victim, Lopeyok Simon, was beaten and robbed of 670,000 Uganda Shillings (USD 200).
• Cattle raiding (Abim District):In March 2025, UPDF troops engaged in gunfire with suspected Jie Karamojong rustlers in Abim District, recovering stolen livestock and resulting in the death of at least one suspected raider.
• 16 October 2025 in Kalapata, Kaabong District:A surge in abductions for ransom was reported, with kidnappers demanding 500,000 Uganda Shillings (USD 185) for the release of victims. Armed warriors were noted to be operating in these areas, specifically targeting travellers and businesspeople.
• November 2025 (Kotome-Lodiko Road):A teacher, Grace Lakica Okello, was shot dead, and a boda boda rider was killed in a separate ambush along the same road. This was described as a “fresh wave” of gun violence. That same month, police launched a manhunt following an armed robbery targeting traders among the Turkana and Dodoth armed warriors and army deserters.[8]

Response mechanisms

Due to the loss of such vital property as livestock to cattle rustlers from Kenya, and the continued failure of the security forces to recover the livestock or the State to provide compensation for the livestock, the local youth/ Karachuna have established schemes that are enabling them to access benefits from the government through microfinance schemes to support business. The peace incentives are bringing youth together to work towards a better future for their communities.

In March 2025, the government began supporting Karachuna with the Parish Development Model fund, as a means of empowering them and protecting them from violent cattle rustling and armed gangs.

In order to secure land for local communities, Kaabong District has started systematic land titling and urban planning, which has since provided an opportunity for 20,000 local women and men to secure their land.

The situation of the Basongora people

In 2025, the Basongora community continued to face peace and security threats rooted in historical land dispossession and unresolved evictions from protected areas. Persistent encroachment on Basongora communal and private lands, particularly in Busongora County, has restricted access to livelihoods and heightened social tensions.

Land conflicts and security

The land disputes between Basongora and Bakonzo over land ownership has left spirals of insecurity among pastoralists. In 2025, tensions remained high, with Basongora pastoralists marginalized and denied access to traditional grazing lands, while facing threats of eviction from both protected and private land reserves.[9]

In October 2025, Basongora pastoralists were violently attacked at Ibuga and Muhokya. During the same period, there were illegal occupations of Basongora lands at Magyengo, Buchumbamurro and Nyakakyindo, and wider regional unrest following the closure of an unlawful encampment at Kasese Municipal Headquarters.

The Basongora Community Land Trust (BCLT), a community-based organization, was working closely with the local authorities in 2025 to pursue land conflicts involving land evictions, and illegal land transactions and wildlife conflicts.

Key notable events

• Massive Displacement and Protest (2025): Throughout mid-2025, thousands of residents, including members of the Banyabindi, Bakonzo, and Basongora communities, camped at the Resident District Commissioner’s (RDC) office in Kasese demanding that the government fulfil its promises to resettle them on land, particularly in areas such as Ibuga I, Nkoko, and Kabukero. Following a four-month-long encampment, the Kasese District Security Committee ordered the residents to vacate the office of the Resident District Commissioner, who is responsible for district security affairs, by 20 August 2025, citing health hazards and security risks. By September 2025, the evicted group had shifted their camp to the Kasese District Headquarters in Rukoki. In response, the government security forces forced the residents out and detained their leaders. [10]
• Failed Promises and Impasse: In June 2025, State Minister for Lands, Dr. Sam Mayanja, visited and promised that the boundary between the community and Queen Elizabeth national park would be opened and land titles issued within three months. However, as the deadline approached in August 2025, no significant progress had been made, causing residents to accuse the government of inaction.[11]
• Violence and Humanitarian Crisis: The land wrangles have resulted in violence, including the death of a community land defender, Mr. Stephen Mohindo Esenge, in a brutal attack in which he was beaten to death by security personnel. Many people have been unable to farm, resulting in severe food insecurity.

Response actions

On 03 September 2025, residents filed a formal complaint with the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) implicating the Kasese Resident District Commissioner and the Attorney-General’s office in alleged human rights violations during their eviction.

Loupa Pius is the Co-chair of IYRP Eastern Africa Working Group, and Director of Rangelands Community Initiative Africa (RCIA).

Namongo Alice is the Founder of IK Nurture Nature Initiative.

Rev. Smith is a member of the Matongo Community Organisation.

This article is part of the 40^th edition of The Indigenous World, a yearly overview produced by IWGIA that serves to document and report on the developments Indigenous Peoples have experienced. Find The Indigenous World 2026 in full here

Notes and references

[1] United Organization of Batwa Development in Uganda (UOBDU). Report on Batwa data. August 2004, p.3.

[2] Uganda Bureau of Statistics. 2018 Statistical Abstract. May 2019. https://www.ubos.org/wp-content/uploads/publications/05_2019STATISTICAL_ABSTRACT_2018.pdf

[3] Baker, Dr. Wairama G. “Uganda: The marginalization of Minorities.” Minority Rights Group International (MRG), 3 December 2001, p.9.  https://minorityrights.org/publications/uganda-the-marginalization-of-minorities-december-2001/

[4] Land Act, 1998, articles 2 and 32, http://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/uga19682.pdf; The National Environment Statute, 1995, article 46.

[5] Plus News. “Security forces intensify crackdown on resurgent insecurity in north Karamoja.” 10 November 2025. https://plusnews.ug/security-forces-intensify-crackdown-on-resurgent-insecurity-in-north-karamoja/#:~:text=and%20stealing%20livestock.,The%20most%20affected%20districts%2C%20Kotido%2C%20Kaabong%2C%20and%20Karenga%2C,along%20the%20Lodiko%2DKotome%20road

[6] Godfred Eyoku. “Kaabong Security committee decry insecurity.” Uganda Radio Network, 14 April 2025. https://ugandaradionetwork.net/story/kaabong-security-committee-decry-insecurity-#:~:text=Audio%203,..every%20day%22.//

[7] Integrated Food Security Phase Classification. “Uganda: Acute Food Insecurity Situation July 2024 - January 2025 and Projection for February - June 2025.” 17 December 2024. https://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/details-map/en/c/1159430/

[8] Richard Oyel. “Fresh Wave of gun violence claims another life in Kaabong District.” Nile Post, 9 November 2025. https://nilepost.co.ug/crime/300745/fresh-wave-of-gun-violence-claims-another-life-in-kaabong-district#:~:text=in%20Kaabong%20District-,Fresh%20Wave%20of%20Gun%20Violence%20Claims%20Another%20Life%20in%20Kaabong,motorcycle%20registration%20number%20KMGB%20552C

[9] Fahad Masereka. “Uganda: Land Dispute Frustration Mounts in Kasese As Resolution Process Stalls.” Nile Post, 6 August 2025, https://allafrica.com/stories/202508070076.html#:~:text=Stalls%20%2D%20allAfrica.com-,Uganda:%20Land%20Dispute%20Frustration%20Mounts%20in%20Kasese%20As%20Resolution%20Process,chairperson%20of%20the%20claimants'%20camp.

[10] Fahad Masereka. “No end in sight for Kasese’s pastoralist – crop farmer land dispute.” Nile Post, 30 May 2025. https://nilepost.co.ug/special-reports/261582/no-end-in-sight-for-kaseses-pastoralist-crop-farmer-land-dispute#:~:text=In%20December%202024%2C%20at%20least,much%20in%20solving%20this%20matter

[11] Parliament Watch Uganda. “Parliament pressed to Act as Kasese land Evictees Defy Ultimatum.” Accessed 20 February 2026. https://parliamentwatch.ug/news-amp-updates/parliament-pressed-to-act-as-kasese-land-evictees-defy-ultimatum/#:~:text=Ultimatum%20%E2%80%93%20Parliament%20Watch-,Parliament%20Pressed%20to%20Act%20as%20Kasese%20Land%20Evictees%20Defy%20Ultimatum,to%20food%20and%20medical%20care

Tags: Global governance