INVESTIGATION INTO THE CAUSES OF POVERTY IN EASTERN UGANDA
A CASE STUDY OF KISOZI SUB COUNTY, KAMULI DISTRICT
1.0 Introduction
According to the World Bank (2006), it showed that low income countries have per capita income of not more than $876. Kamara (2006) defines poverty as the inability of individuals to satisfy their needs that lead to being hungry, lack of shelter, being sick, having no access to school, jobless and fear for the future and it concludes that poverty is having no power, not being represented and loss of freedom
1.1 Background to the study.
Poverty is also viewed as a major component of poverty worldwide because the rural poor include hundreds of thousands of subsistence farmers living in remote, scattered areas throughout the country. Being in remote areas makes people too poor in as much as it prevents them from benefiting from the country’s steady economic growth and dynamic modernization. In such remote areas small holder farmers don’t have access to the vehicles and roads, they need to transport their produce to markets, and market linkages are weak or nonexistent (IFAD report, 2001). Also empirical evidence shows that the poor are characterized by low self-esteem, low education, high quality mortality rate, among other.
Uganda being one of the poorest countries in the world with a per capita income of almost US $350, and also one of the poorest in the sub Saharan region about more than 80% of Ugandans poor population live in the rural areas (UNHS IV, 2009/2010) and poverty alleviation programs in the last decades have been mainly implemented in the rural areas of the country.
Measuring the welfare level of an individual or a household is not an easy task but if it can be made easier if one restricts the concept to that of material and economic welfare UNDP (2007). For this purpose therefore a specific “standard of living” indicator is often chosen for measuring welfare. In other words, defining poverty requires the selection of a welfare criterion to draw a line that divides the population into poor and non-poor. The literature on poverty analysis (Streeten P. 1995) distinguishes between two types of poverty lines namely: those using the mount of income needed to satisfy the food requirements only and those that also consider income needed to satisfy nonfood requirements like housing, education, clothing, and health services.
However, poverty is more than what is reflected by a certain level of expenditure, social sectors and factors have the capacity to influence greatly people’s poverty status, in this context therefore, the UN has recently favored composite indices taking into account access to education and basic health into their computation of measures of poverty and human development (UN, 2009).
Poverty is viewed as lack of human development which is reflected in the extent to which people are capable of living long lives, being literate, adequately nourished and basically free to choose. There have been attempts at quantifying the social dimensions of poverty. The Human Development Index (HDI) developed by the UNDP in 1990 is a case in point. The HDI is a composite of life expectancy at birth, years of schooling and GNP per capita. The concept of human poverty, which was recently in the UNP’S Human Development Report 1997 looks at impoverishment as a multi-dimensional issue. More than just a lack of what is necessary for material wellbeing; poverty can also mean denial of opportunities and choices most basic to human development.
In practice, many definitions have been used and it is by no means that they identify the same people as poor. This implies that the different definitions of poverty may lead to different policy recommendations which suggest that more attention should be given to the choice of a particular definition when analyzing the effects of economic policies on the poor. In this respect therefore, it is widely argued that different definitions of poverty select different population groups as poor, and that can lead to the design of very different policy measures to curb poverty.
1.2 The problem statement
In the past years, many development strategies of Uganda National Agricultural Advisory Services, Universal Primary education (UPE), Entandikwa Scheme, prosperity for All and many others, a few of the have been implemented in an effort to reduce rural poverty. According to the latest UNHS (2009- 2010) reveals that as the number of people living below the poverty line in Uganda is reducing, the numbers of poor people in the rural areas is not significantly reducing over the years. The question is therefore, why have incomes of the rural residents remained low? It is therefore important to investigate the causes of poverty in eastern Uganda.
1.3 Objectives of the study.
1.3.1 General objective.
The overall objective of the study is to investigate the causes of poverty in eastern Uganda. A case study of Kisozi sub county Kamuli district.
1.3.2 Specific objectives.
- To identify the socio-economic causes of poverty in Eastern Uganda.
- To examine the personal factors that lead to poverty in Eastern Uganda.
- To identify the challenges faced by implementers in alleviating poverty in Eastern Uganda.
1.4 Research Questions
- What are the socio-economic causes of poverty in eastern Uganda?
- What personal factors lead poverty in Eastern Uganda?
- What challenges are faced by implementers in alleviating poverty in Eastern Uganda?
1.5 Scope of the study
Content scope
The study will be confined to investigate the causes of poverty in eastern Uganda. Specific emphasis will be put on identifying the socio-economic, personal factors that cause poverty and the challenges faced by implementers in alleviating poverty in Eastern Uganda.
Geographical Scope
The study will be carried out in Kisozi Sub County, Kamuli district. It consists of villages like, Kiyunga, Bugolo, Bulamuka, Buduuli among others, where a few respondents will be selected and from which both men and women will be requested to participate.
Time Scope
The study will be carried out from March 2017 to May 2017 in order to be able to capture and collect current and relevant data for the success of the study.
1.6 Significance of the study
Through the determining the specific challenges that are faced and currently face in the implementation of poverty reduction strategies will be helpful making the implementation of such strategies easier in the future, as proponents will be able to anticipate potential barriers. This is basically a chance to assess the lessons learned by the government, to ensure that past mistakes will not be repeated, and past victories will be followed as an example.
The study more so is expected to benefit the people of Kisozi Sub County and the entire Kamuli at large
The study more so will explore and recommend potential areas onto which the government needs to put more effort in delivering services. More so policy makers will also benefit in the manner that the findings will provide informed suggestion on how policy can be improved. It helps the researcher to build on his skills in the area of research
With improved and ease to implement policies to reduce poverty, more individuals will be able to access and benefit from those policies hence poverty will be easily eradicated.
2.4 The challenges faced by implementers of poverty existing poverty reduction strategies.
According to Mugisha (1993) forwarded the following as the cases of poverty, lack of commitment to work, general weak infrastructure (roads, schools, hospitals) producing low value of goods (agriculture products), the system of land inheritance and fragmentation, lack of credit facilities, lack of market for finished goods, AIDS epidemics in recent times and extended families in the view Mugisha above therefore people are not committed to work and move out of poverty, they produce goods (agricultural products) of poor quality which lack market and ever people lack of enough land.
According Uganda participatory poverty assessment report (2000) asserted that 67% of the community identified poor health and disease as major causes and consequences of poverty where the situation puts work at stand still and the rural poor people.
Engleman (1997) also stressed that rapid population growth is commonly to be “a root cause” of poverty population growth has influenced factors that contributed to poverty such as the growth inability of government to provide adequate situation health care services and education pressure relating to population growth contribute to lack of adequate housing and under mine social services and transportation networks on which livelihoods.
According to 2007 mid term report or Uganda’s performance on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) shows that low agriculture production and a fast growing in the population accuse persistent poverty. The report also shows that the dominance of women in the agriculture sector with in lowest returns to labour, coupled with low female literacy makes it difficult for them to complete on the highly competitive job market, thus keeping them perpetually in poverty. And the report reveals that 90% of people employed in the agriculture sector are women.
According to Nuwagaba (2009) from Makerere University who has done wide consultancy on poverty erudition in Africa, realized that unevenly distribution of economic growth leads to persistent poverty. He stressed that the economic growth country is experiencing is not translating into better life for the most of its citizens. He further explained that the economic which should be benefiting the whole country is being enjoyed by few people professor Nuwagaba said there is a still huge gap between poverty eradication and peoples every day living conditions.
2.4.1 Strategies that have been put in place
According to Augustine Nuwagaba (2008), in the new vision Monday, 6th October, 2008 economic growth does not solve a poor man’s woes, he argued that what Ugandans require are education and skills development, employment creation, improved livelihoods, improved productivity and increased welfare, rather than figures and macro economic policies that have little meaning to an ordinary poor hungry person. Poor people understand their need better than anyone else and government should take its lead from them not the other way round. The ordinary people should be allowed to voice their needs and government action be based on the needs assessment of the people but not what government thinks the people need.
Elections 2011 and poverty in Uganda, the thorny issue of poor pay in the poverty Puzzle, presidential candidates need to pay attention to the millions of poor, unemployed youth says Dr. Augustine Nuwagaba, pursuant to Article 67 (1) of the constitution of the republic of Uganda (1995), the country is in the process of holding another round of presidential, parliamentary and local government elections. This is against a back drop of critical issues in economic and social sector management which ideally constitute the Lynch pin and benchmark for election of political leaders. I particularly emphasize the latter because in an ideal election, a ballot is cast their ballot basing on what they consider the most beneficial policy direction.
According to chambers (1983) has pointed out the dangers in the tendency of both practitioners and academics towards partiality; they tend to concentrate on one or a few explanations and actions and ignore others, he then elegies dioquently for the need for pluralism recognizing multiple causation, multiple objectives and multiple interventions. He defined pluralism in rural development as standing on three legs, the two cultures academic and practical-joining together with a third; it would therefore be wide to analyze each given situation individually, starting with an examination of the local causes and finishing with an evaluation of how national and international political and socio-economic relationships affect the poor in each particular programme area.
The UNDP mid-term report (2010) on Uganda’s performance on the Millennium Development Goal (MDGs) recommends that any further process reducing poverty hinge on increasing agricultural productivity and finding of the post conflict programmes it suggests that the better way to address the agriculture challenge, the government ought to increase its budget share to the sector.
Aid Uganda country strategy paper (2007:7), Civil society of Uganda including NGOs has played a big role in service delivery and contributing to public debate about poverty eradication civil society in Uganda play a move predominant which in raising awareness of rights, undertaking advance on the behalf of disadvantaged group and generally holding the government to account Department For International Development (DFID) country strategy paper January 1999: 6 Civil Society Organization (CSO) are important in analyzing and articulating of the critical needs of society, inequality and marginalization.
Uganda participatory poverty assessment (2006) the government extends assistance to people to move out of poverty through electrification. It was elevated that the population use electricity to establish various enterprise that help them to generate income.
The World Bank report (2001), the government has financed education for all and provides some scholastic materials, the universal primary education for all Universal Secondary Education for all and the International Development Targets (IDTs) emphasis the need to induct all children irrespective of gender, ethnicity, region and disability schooling or education is both important in its own right and is a fundamental human right and as a determinant of poverty.
Uvin, 1998, Storey, 1999, regional insecurity caused massive population movements in Rwanda with further social and political instability, disrupted social relations and organizations. Child and adult mortality rose steeply and poverty broadened and deepened. The work of National Unity and Reconciliation Commission will influence how lasting poverty reduction can be promoted through participatory process.
The World Bank in March (2002), the Government held a National Workshop for evaluation and planning to strengthen Good Governance for poverty reduction in Rwanda, and produced a strategic Framework Paper on strengthening Good Government for poverty Reduction which emphasized close linkage with the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP).
Attaran (2000), Good health is widely acknowledged to be a critical factor in poverty reduction and economic development. The World Health Organization (WHO) Commission on macro-Economic and health argued that societies with a health burden of disease tend a multiplicity of severe impediments to economic progress. Disease reduces the annual income of the society , the life-time incomes of the individuals and prospects for economic growth .A concerted attack against diseases , therefore, directly serves to reduce poverty (World Health Organization, 2001).
