Exploring livelihoods of the urban poor in Kampala, Uganda

5.1.1 Street Children and their Mothers
Street children and mothers were originally cited in the
project’s terms of reference by ACF-USA Uganda to
be a main group of interest, and have been the subject
of a number of various studies since the late 1990s
due to the noted rapid increase in their numbers
(Young 2003; KCCA 2008; Wernham 2004; Gackle
et al. 2007; Munene & Nambi 1996). Typically, these
children are orphans that have come from rural poor
areas. Originating mainly from the poor north-eastern
region of Karamoja, food and physical insecurity have
compelled some parents to send their children to
urban centres to seek income (Mulumba & Mlahagwa
2009; Kalibala & Elson 2009). This population is one of
the most visible in Kampala, as they are typically found
on the streets of heavily traf cked areas approaching
passing cars to ask for money. They are an identi ed
vulnerable group by the Ugandan Government and
fall under policy as directed by the OVC Secretariat.
However, Uganda has enacted laws that forcibly
evict street children from the Kampala centre, and
relocating them to ‘reception centres’ located around
the hinterlands of the city (Bett et al. 2005). Because
of the unknown timing and execution of these roundups,
knowing the actual number (estimates range from
2,500 to 10,000) of street children at any given period
is not feasible. This brings the problem of properly
targeting the population, and given that their presence
in Kampala is under continual threat of eviction, the
assurance of the effectiveness of any programming for
these bene ciaries is made that much more dif cult.
The largest proportion of registered NGOs in Kampala
deal principally with children and children’s rights,
and more so there are a number of NGOs and CBOs
whose prime mandate is to host these children and
provide services such as education, shelter, food and
healthcare.
5.1.2 Squatters
Squatter households were identi ed as a group that
may also be vulnerable. This group is characterized
by not claiming an of cial residence but living in
improvised or abandoned structures that are typically
hidden behind large buildings on main roads. These
residences are considered as informal settlements;
but differ however from their slum counterparts as they
do not usually exist as multiple, densely populated
households in a large area.
Ultimately, the disorganized nature of the squatter
households, the lack of of cial statistics or
demographic data, and the sceptical demeanour of
the households make this group dif cult to target for
further investigation. They are the only identi ed group
which the principal investigator was not been able
to identify organisations or programmes speci cally
targeting this group.
5.1.3 Slum Dwellers
Slum Dwellers were an identi ed group in the
preliminary phase and are the main focus of this study.
Though there are limited to no of cial statistics relating
to the populations living in the slums, numerous local
NGOs who work in the areas and a UN-HABITAT report
(2007) estimate that more than 1 million people live
in the slum areas of Kampala, making up 60% of the
population.
5.2
Area Pro les
The slum areas that were chosen are pro led along
with reasoning for inclusion in the study.
5.2.1 Namuwongo
Namuwongo is located on the margins of the
Nakirubo canal, a waterway leading from the central
business district to Murchison Bay. The area border
is demarcated by out-of-service railroad tracks on the
east, Nakirubo canal to the west, the Industrial area to
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