Greening Uganda's COVID-19 recovery: walking the talk

The report argues that while Uganda's COVID-19 recovery plans and budgets initially prioritised natural capital, actual financial releases have been insufficient. It highlights a gap between planned commitments and implementation, noting that green interventions are often sidelined during budget reprioritisation due to a perceived lack of short-term economic multiplier effects.

• Uganda experienced a decline in key natural capital indicators between 2013/14 and 2019/20, with forest coverage falling from 15 percent to 12 percent and wetland coverage decreasing from 10 percent to 8.9 percent.
• Air quality in Kampala City reached dangerous levels, with Particulate Matter (PM2.5) estimated at 162μg/m3, which is six times the World Health Organization's recommended limit of 25μg/m3.
• Despite allocating US$12 billion in 2020/21 and 12.1 billion in 2021/22 for recovery, Uganda's actual financial releases for green interventions have been limited. Budget disbursements for the first quarter of 2021/22 saw a 40 percent cut compared to approved figures, further marginalising green components.
• Natural capital management is often deprioritised in budget reprioritisation because it is perceived to have a limited short-term multiplier effect on economic recovery compared to other interventions.
• To achieve a genuine green recovery, the author recommends implementing natural capital accounting in national systems, creating fiscal reforms for accurate ecological pricing, and repackaging green interventions to provide immediate economic benefits like job creation and food security.

APA

Werikhe, A. (2021). Greening Uganda's COVID-19 recovery: walking the talk. Green Economy Coalition. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/news-and-resources/greening-ugandas-covid-19-recovery-walking-the-talk

Chicago

Werikhe, Aron. Greening Uganda's COVID-19 recovery: walking the talk. Green Economy Coalition, 2021. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/news-and-resources/greening-ugandas-covid-19-recovery-walking-the-talk.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Werikhe |first1=Aron |title=Greening Uganda's COVID-19 recovery: walking the talk |publisher=Green Economy Coalition |date=15 December 2021 |url=https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/news-and-resources/greening-ugandas-covid-19-recovery-walking-the-talk |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{werikhe2021greening, author = {Werikhe, Aron}, title = {{Greening Uganda's COVID-19 recovery: walking the talk}}, institution = {Green Economy Coalition}, year = {2021}, month = dec, url = {https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/news-and-resources/greening-ugandas-covid-19-recovery-walking-the-talk}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }