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The document examines the intersection of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and urban inequality, proposing six priority solutions to build climate-resilient and equitable cities. It highlights how the pandemic exposed systemic vulnerabilities, particularly for the urban poor in informal settlements, and argues that adaptation investments offer high benefit-cost ratios (2:1 to 10:1) and local job creation. Proposed solutions include upgrading poor settlements, building water resilience, advancing nature-based solutions, creating knowledge networks, enhancing devolved funding, and fostering peer-to-peer city collaboration.

A mystery shopping study of 1,102 visits to financial institutions in Kampala, Mbarara, and Gulu reveals significant gaps in the disclosure of the total cost of credit and interest rates in Uganda. The report finds that inexperienced borrowers and women receive substantially less information than experienced male borrowers, and that written disclosure materials, such as key facts documents, are rarely provided. Analysis of Bank of Uganda data also indicates a steady increase in the number of non-interest fees charged to borrowers since 2005.

The document reports on a mystery shopping exercise conducted by Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) in Kampala, Mbarara, and Gulu to evaluate how loan officers disclose interest rates, fees, and the total cost of credit. It finds significant gaps in disclosure, particularly for inexperienced borrowers and women, and notes that regulatory requirements for Key Facts Documents (KfDs) and total cost disclosures are frequently ignored. The brief recommends improving staff training, standardizing KfD formats, expanding cooling-off periods for smaller loans, and harmonizing consumer protection policies between the Bank of Uganda (BoU) and the Uganda Microfinance Regulatory Authority (UMRA).

Divine Bamboo is a Ugandan social enterprise founded in 2016 that produces bamboo-based briquettes as a sustainable alternative to charcoal and firewood. The company utilizes fast-growing local bamboo to create fuel with higher calorific value and lower costs, potentially reducing household fuel expenditure by 50 percent. As a recipient of the 2020 Energy Access Booster Award, Divine Bamboo intends to use up to USD 50,000 in support to acquire automated equipment and scale production to four tonnes of briquettes per month. The enterprise has already trained 350 small-scale farmers, primarily women and youth, and aims to reduce charcoal and firewood consumption from unsustainable sources by 20 percent in Kampala over five years.

The Financial Inclusion for Refugees (FI4R) baseline survey analyzes the demographics, income sources, and financial instrument usage of refugees and host communities across several Ugandan settlements, including Nakivale, Bidibidi, and Palorinya. It identifies a high reliance on informal savings and credit mechanisms, such as ASCAs and ROSCAs, and a significant shift toward mobile money usage after displacement. The report also outlines the specific implementation strategies of partner financial service providers—Equity Bank Uganda Limited, VisionFund Uganda, and the Rural Finance Initiative—to increase access to bank accounts, wholesale credit, and digitized savings products for these underserved populations.

The document examines the relationship between climate change and migration in Africa, challenging the narrative of mass international 'climate refugee' flows. It posits that migration is an active resilience strategy used by households to diversify income and spread risk, though the most vulnerable are often trapped by a lack of resources. The brief highlights the prevalence of internal migration, the risks of unplanned urbanisation, and the need for African policymakers to develop governance frameworks tailored to local realities rather than relying on international models.

The report finds that while social media engagement alone achieves limited results in promoting police accountability in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, it serves as a valuable tool for documenting misconduct and mobilising the public. Analysis shows a general net negative sentiment towards police in all three countries, though the nature of engagement varies: Kenyans and Ugandans frequently tag official police handles, whereas Tanzanians rely more on activist profiles due to a more repressive environment. The study highlights that police responsiveness on social media directly correlates with improved public sentiment, though overall response rates remain very low.

The document details a climate risk assessment of the Ruhezamyenda catchment in Uganda, which found the area extremely vulnerable to higher temperatures and increased precipitation. It outlines a multi-step process for mainstreaming these findings into catchment management plans and provides strategic recommendations for Uganda's broader National Adaptation Plan (NAP), emphasizing the need for cross-sectoral coordination, local stakeholder engagement, and the use of existing scientific data to avoid costly redundant modeling.

The report details a series of Swedish-led dialogue forums in five countries aimed at integrating climate policies (NDCs) with sustainable development goals (SDGs). Common findings across the forums include a critical need for capacity building at local levels, the challenge of translating national policies into regional implementation, and the necessity of securing both international and domestic financing. While stakeholders generally recognized the synergies between NDCs and SDGs, concerns persisted regarding trade-offs between rapid industrialization and environmental sustainability. Country-specific insights highlight Vietnam's focus on integrated water management, Tanzania's debate on the economic costs of environmental degradation, Zambia's emphasis on research and solar potential, Cambodia's focus on inter-ministerial policy coherence, and Uganda's concerns over institutional silos and external financing dependencies.

Uganda's energy access landscape is characterized by a 62% electricity access deficit and a high reliance on biomass for cooking (95%). To reach universal access by 2030, the report forecasts a need for USD 2.3 billion for off-grid electricity and improved cooking solutions. This includes USD 1.43 billion for stand-alone solar, USD 51 million for mini-grids, and USD 193 million for industrial cookstove enterprises, alongside significant affordability gap financing for consumers. Key barriers include unclear regulatory frameworks for mini-grids, a lack of quality standards for solar products, and high upfront costs for clean cooking technologies.

The Uganda Green Economy Barometer 2018 argues that while Uganda has a conducive policy environment and significant natural capital, the transition to a green economy is hindered by poor policy implementation, high initial costs, and a financing gap. It highlights the potential for green growth to create 4 million jobs and boost GDP by 10%, provided there is political commitment, economic reform, and increased private sector investment in sectors like agriculture, renewable energy, and sustainable transport.

The article introduces a framework for comparative urban research in the developing world, asserting that urban transformations—including land use, construction patterns, and environmental regulation—reveal the underlying national political settlements and clientelism. The author illustrates this approach through narrative sketches of Kampala, Kigali, and Addis Ababa.

The document examines the African Union's (AU) efforts to integrate youth into democratic governance, highlighting the African Governance Architecture-Youth Engagement Strategy (AGA-YES) and the African Youth Charter. It argues that despite these frameworks, young people remain largely alienated and marginalised, facing significant barriers such as unemployment and restrictive legislation. The brief details findings from 2016 regional consultations, noting that youth often lack knowledge of the AU human rights system and face systemic hurdles like prohibitive age requirements for political office. It recommends that member states domesticate AU shared values, repeal discriminatory laws, and move beyond tokenistic engagement to harness the potential of Africa's youth demographic.

The paper evaluates sanitation policies in Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania against seven criteria, finding that while frameworks are ambitious and reforms toward decentralization and Sector Wide Approaches (SWAps) are positive, significant gaps remain in funding, technical capacity at the district level, and the translation of policy into functional facilities.

The 2016 Ugandan general elections resulted in a victory for President Museveni with 60.75% of the vote, a result widely anticipated by observers. The process was characterized by violent rhetoric from both the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and the opposition, as well as the house arrest of main opposition leaders. While civil society had campaigned for substantive reforms to the Electoral Commission and legislation since 2013, the author notes that only 'cosmetic alterations' were made. The Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) found that shortcomings in the process undermined 'electoral integrity'. Despite these irregularities and high youth unemployment (estimated at 64% for those aged 18-30), the electorate remained largely peaceful, suggesting a prioritization of stability over the belligerent campaign style of opposition leader Besigye.

Uganda faces significant climate risks, particularly in its semi-arid northern regions and the 'cattle corridor,' where rising temperatures and rainfall variability threaten agriculture, water, and health. While the government has established a National Climate Change Policy and a coordinating institutional structure, adaptation mainstreaming into sectoral plans and district-level decision-making remains limited. International adaptation finance is heavily concentrated in the agriculture and water sectors, leaving gaps in fisheries, forestry, and health. The country is currently working toward a National Adaptation Plan to better integrate climate resilience into its goal of becoming a middle-income country by 2040.

The Stockholm Environment Institute has developed Resource Value Mapping (REVAMP), a tool designed to help urban planners and investors identify the economic and material value of resources recoverable from sewage sludge, faecal sludge, and organic solid waste. Unlike previous tools, REVAMP operates at a city-wide scale and is specifically tailored for the Global South by incorporating on-site sanitation data. A 2016 trial in Kampala, Uganda, demonstrated that 100% collection of the city's organic waste could generate significant daily revenues and substitutes for firewood and chemical fertilizers, with solid combustion fuel offering the highest potential daily revenue of US$225,500.

The report estimates that the cost of inaction regarding climate change in Uganda's agriculture, water, energy, and infrastructure sectors will range between US$273 billion and US$437 billion from 2010 to 2050. These costs are estimated to be 24-46 times greater than the proposed adaptation budget. The study identifies water and energy as the sectors with the highest costs of inaction, while infrastructure is expected to require the most adaptation investment in the long term. Key recommendations include prioritizing the government's Costed Implementation Strategy and mainstreaming climate adaptation into national and district development plans.

The report argues that the cost of inaction regarding climate change in Uganda is significantly higher than the cost of adaptation, estimating annual losses between US$3.1 bn and 5.9 bn by 2025 compared to an adaptation cost of US$406 m over five years. It identifies critical vulnerabilities in water availability, agricultural exports (particularly coffee), biomass energy supply, and infrastructure resilience, while highlighting that many proposed adaptation measures are 'no regrets' investments that provide immediate development benefits.

The report examines climate variability and projections for Kampala, finding that while annual rainfall has remained stable, temperatures rose by approximately 1ºC between 1979 and 2005. Future projections suggest temperature increases of 1.5ºC (RCP 4.5) to 3ºC (RCP 8.5) by 2095. The study highlights that flooding is the most significant climate impact, exacerbated by the encroachment of human settlements into wetlands and poor urban drainage. Economic estimates indicate that annual flood damages could rise from US$1.3–7.3 million in 2013 to US$33.2–101.7 million by 2050 under a business-as-usual scenario. The cost of climate-proofing buildings and roads between 2015 and 2050 is estimated at US$3.2 billion (RCP 4.5) to US$3.7 billion (RCP 8.5), with residential buildings accounting for 72% of these costs. A cost-benefit analysis of drainage improvements in four catchments showed mixed results, with only two projects yielding a positive net present value. The report recommends revising building codes and the Kampala Physical Development Plan, strengthening the enforcement of Environmental Impact Assessments to protect wetlands, and integrating informality into climate resilience strategies.