Water, Crisis and Climate Change in Uganda: A Policy Brief

Although endowed with abundant renewable water resources, Uganda faces huge challenges. Pressure on and competition around water resources are increasing. This carries the potential for conflicts, especially if it leads to unequal water access and availability and interacts with other conflict factors such as marginalisation or past conflicts. Pastoralist conflicts in Karamoja and along the cattle corridor, as well as the connection between water and land grabbing, exemplify these dynamics. However, water is also a source of peace and cooperation if managed in an equitable and sustainable way: participatory management of ecosystems, conflict-sensitive water infrastructure development and improvement of conflict management in special institutions are examples of how water conflicts could be prevented.