Population in Uganda

Population in Uganda Notes

• Population refers to the total number of inhabitants in an area over a given period of time. Uganda‘s population has been increasing over the years i.e.
• In 1959 Uganda had 6.5 million people, 1969 with 9.5 million people, 1980 with 12.6 million people, 1991 with 16.7 million people, 2002 with 24.6 million people and in 2015, 34.8 million people. The annual population growth rate is 3.4%and this rate varies from one district another.
• The densely populated districts of Uganda include Kampala, Jinja, Masaka, Wakiso, Mbale, Kabale, Kisoro, Tororo, Mpigi, Bushenyi, etc. The sparsely populated districts in Uganda include Moyo, Kitgum, Kotido, Kaabong, Masindi, Hoima, Kiruhura, etc. the districts with moderate population in Uganda include Luwero, Gulu, Arua, Iganga, Kumi, Kasese, Kabalore, etc.

Map of Uganda showing population distribution.

Factors responsible for the population distribution in Uganda

The distribution of population in Uganda vary from one district to another due to physically, economical, historical and environmental factors, these include;

• Climate, there is a close relationship between population distribution and climate. Areas which receive heavy and reliable rainfall support successful agriculture and therefore attract dense settlement like L. Victoria crescent, Bugishu highlands, etc.

  On the other hand the little rains in N.Eastern Uganda of Moroto, Kaabong, Nakapiripiriti, discourages crop growing and settlement thus sparse population.

• Soils, areas with fertile soils which are well drained support flourishing cultivation like in Mt. Elgon slopes and the shores of L. Victoria support high population densities. On the other hand the poor soils in north eastern Uganda Copt with low rainfall received are responsible for the low population.
• Altitude, this control human settlement, usually settlement stops at 2000 meters above sea level and beyond this level there is severe soil erosion and reduced oxygen with increased coldness thus low population like on slopes of Mt. Rwenzori.
• Relief, the nature of land does influence population distribution in Uganda. The gentle slopping land is easily settled than steep slopes. For instance there more people on the gentle slopes of Mt. Elgon than on the steep slopes of Mt. Rwenzori. Flat lands and valleys usually floods during rainy seasons thus discourage settlements.
• Vegetation, the dense forested areas are difficult to clear for settlement and as a result they remain sparsely populated likewise the swampy areas are water logged therefore donot attract settlement. Populations tend to concentrate in areas which are easily cleared and well drained like in Luwero and Gulu.
• Pests and diseases, areas occupied by tsetse flies like parts of Busoga and western rift valley has got low population. In addition some parts of Bugerere remained un-occupied for some time just because of pests and diseases.
• Water resource, areas with permanent water source like Kampala encourages dense population well as Ankole-Masaka dry corridor and Karamoja with semi-permanent water have got low population.
• Mineral resource factor, mining of minerals like copper and cobalt in Kilembe-Kasese, cement at Tororo, has attracted dense population.
• Economic activities, man’s activities such as mining, industry and trade has contributed to the inflow of population from other areas to the central and eastern Uganda regions of Kampala, Jinja, Tororo, Mukono, Masaka, etc. on the other hand areas like Karamoja with little economic activities have attracted less population.
• Cultural factor, the pastoral economy of cattle keeping among the Karamajongs and Hima of Ankole demand large areas of land where this activity can be carried out (transhumance). This explains why such areas are sparsely populated.
• The no man’s land created by worrying tribes in the past like between Iteso and Japadhola, Baganda and Banyoro, japadhola and Banyole, until now have low population although it is relatively increasing.
  
• Tribal location, areas where traditional leaders head quarters where, tend to attract a lot of population and still has maintained such high population density like Mengo in Kampala.
• Political climate, in stable areas there is population increase well as unstable political climate in an area like as it was in Gulu which encouraged out migration which resulted into low populations.
  
• Urbanization, towns tend to attract settlement due to better living standards of better schools, health centers, electricity, etc. This explains why Kampala, Jinja, Masaka are densely settled.
  

Population growth and structure

• Population growth refers to the increase in number of people of a given area while population structure refers to the characteristics of the population. The structure is in terms of sex, age, education, etc.
• Both population growth and structure affect economic activities of Uganda. Uganda experiences a high population growth rate of an average of about 3.4% per annum.
• Infant mortality is defined as the death of children less than one year of age per 1000 live birth during the same year.
• Birth rate refers to the annual number of children born per 1000 people of the population of the country.
• Death rate refers to the annual number of people who die per 1000 of the total population of a country.
• Population growth rate refers to the percentage ratio of birth rate to death rate per 1000 people.

Causes of high population growth rate in Uganda.

• Very high birth rate which exceeds the death rate. The death rate is declining today because of improved medical services which has reduced infant mortality rate.
• The high infant mortality rate often forces people to frequently produces to ensure survival of at least a few, therefore there is a close relationship between survival and high birth rate.
• Values attached to children in many societies of Uganda. Parents look at children as source of labor in Kiga, wealth in Banyankole, security during old age in Baganda thus favour large families.
• Polygamy which is the act of a man marrying many wives which results into large families. This is seen mainly in Busoga, it is also reported that 33% of women in Uganda report that their husbands have got other wives.
• Early marriages, about 54% of women in Uganda marry before the age of 18 years they therefore have a long production period in which they bare many children like in Kabale.
• Education levels, there is a relationship between education and family size. The more advanced the level of education, the fewer children a couple is likely to have and vice verser.
• Income levels, poor people with less ambitions and property normally have many children well as the rich with a lot of over whelming ambitions to acquire more wealth attach little value to have children.
• Religion, some religions like Catholics encourages family development and opposes birth controls and abortion. Likewise the Muslims have a religious dogma of marrying many wives, such beliefs are characterized with many children.
• Limited family planning education and facilities especially in rural areas. Ignorance in some areas makes people to look at family planning contraceptives with a lot of fear that can prevent them from having children in future, thus more birth rates.

Problems resulting from high population growth rate

• Un-employment especially in urban areas which leads to out crop of high crime rate due to poverty, such crimes includes robbery, prostitution and theft.
• It contributes to the youthful structure of Uganda‘s population. For instance the proportion of children aged from 0-17 years is estimated at 54% and this implies that there is high dependency syndrome.
• It exerts pressure on provision of basic facilities such as housing in urban centres, health, education, social transport facilities, etc and this costs a lot of money to the government.
• It results into little land per person hence land fragmentation. This results in over utilization of land leading to soil erosion and exhaustion. The low productivity of land results into absolute poverty like in Kigezi.
• Land fragmentation due to increasing population limits mechanization, reduces opportunities for employments in addition to famine.
• The increased pressure to feed the increasing population has resulted in settlement of people in marginal land, wildlife reserves and forested areas. Forests such as Mabira, Elgon forests have been encroached on leading to erosion, landslides, reduced rainfall and the general environmental degradation.
• It has resulted into rural urban migration especially by the landless and youth. This has led to rapid growth of urban centres with their associated problems such as slum growth, high crime rate, limited social services, etc.

Measures to control population growth rate

These measures are designed to control birth rate and those designed to manage the high number of people.

Birth rate measures

• Education through UPE and USE is emphasized to increase literacy especially among women. This is to break customs and traditions that favour large families. Also educated families tend to have fewer children than the un-educated.
• Encouraging of education among women and awareness in men as away of encouraging the use of modern methods of family planning birth control like use of condoms, pills, etc.
• Improvement in general standards of living by raising people out of poverty so as the use of children as an asset is stopped. It should be noted that poor people has a lot of time to produce.

Measures to manage high population

• Setting up settlement schemes, this involves the transfer of people from densely populated areas to un-settled areas like as it was in resettlement of Bakiga to Kibale.
• Eradicating of tsetse flies in some areas which are infested such that people are encouraged to go and settle there like it was in Bugerere and Busoga in eastern Uganda.
• Reduction on rural urban migration to reduce on rapid population growth especially in major towns of Kampala, Masaka and Mbarara. This can be done by providing related service of urban to rural areas.
• Developing other sectors such as industry, mining, tourism, which can absorb excess population on land
• Land reclamation especially swamps so as to create room for settlement; however this should be done with care so as to avoid environmental degradation.

Merits of high population

• It creates high potential for labour both skilled and un-skilled which can be used for economic growth.
• It stimulates industrial and agricultural development through increased labor supply and demand for goods and services.
• It leads to utilization of idle resources since there is plenty of labour.
• It makes it economical to produce power, health, water supply, education and other social facilities.
• It increases the tax base of a country used for further economic development through construction of important infrastructure.
• It provides a lot of potential for defense and security of a country.

Demerits of having low population

• It leads to under utilization of resources like land, water, minerals, forestry, etc.
• It limits the supply of labour force necessary for economic development.
• It results into market shortage and this does not provide incentives for invention and innovation.
• It results into limited development of social services like health, education, water supply, since it becomes un-economical to provide them in low population areas.
• It leads to low tax base thus less capital available for development.
• The area remains remote and inaccessible and this is a disincentive for agricultural and industrial development.
• Social and economic dependency on other countries for market, labour and other essential supplies.
• The country is liable to insecurity since the population provide less labour in the security department.

Population migration

This refers to the movement of people from one region to another. Migration can be internal or international.

• Internal migration refers to the frequent movement of people from one area to another within the same country. This is categorized as;
• Rural urban migration, this involves the movement of people from villages to towns. Like from rural areas of Rakai to Masaka town.
• Rural-rural migration, this involves the movement of people from one village area to another village area usually from densely populated areas to sparsely populated. Like Bakiga from Kabale to Kibale.
• Urban-urban migration, this involves the movement of people from one town to another town like from Masaka to Kampala.
• Urban-rural migration, this involves the movement of people from towns to villages like from Masaka to Rakai.
• International migration is the
  movement of people from one country to another. This is sub divided as;
• Immigration, this refers to the act of people entering a country from other countries. These can be refugees, tourists, officials, etc. like people from S. Sudan to Uganda. Such people are called immigrants.
• Emigration, this refers to the movement of people out of the country. Such people are called emigrants

Map of Uganda showing population migration.

Rural urban migration

This is the most common migration in Uganda and the major destinations of migrants is Kampala, Mbarara, Jinja, Gulu, Mbale, Kasese, Kabale, Masaka, etc.

The migrants come from villages of Moroto, Kitgum, Kaabong, Nakapiripiriti to Gulu, Bundibugyo, Sheema to Kasese, Rakai, Kalungu, Kalangala to Masaka, Bududa, Bulambuli, Bukedia, Budaka to Mbale, etc.

Map of Uganda showing rural urban migration.

Causes of rural urban migrations

There are both ‘pull’ and ‘push’ factors responsible for the movement of people from rural areas to urban areas. Pull factors are the attractive conditions in urban areas well as push factors are the un suitable conditions in rural areas from which people want to run-out or away. These include;

• Limited employment opportunities in rural areas, administrative, commercial and industrial activities are found in Kampala, Masaka, etc therefore attracting the youth for jobs
• Urban areas have better education, health, and other social facilities which pull people into towns like Mbarara and Mbale to enjoy a better life.
• Political security in towns like Gulu town which attracted many people affected by Kony war in the region.
• Most youth from Kisoro are attracted to Kabale town due to urban excitements of cinema, films, recreation like Bunyonyi sites, etc.
• Social amenities in Kampala such as electricity, communication, entertainment of radio Simba and capital, T.vs like Ntv, all attract majorly the youth from Kiboga, Buikwe, etc.
• The development of mining activity in an area provides a pull factor in relation to population migration into such area. For instance in 1960s many migrant workers used to move from Kigezi region to Kasese where copper mining was being carried out seeking for jobs.
• Some people move to urban areas like Jinja after committing crimes in rural areas such as rape and defilement, child sacrifice, etc.
• The landless people in rural areas move to town to seek for alternative way of settlement. This explains why towns like Kasese, Kabale and Mbale are densely populated.
• Natural factors such as drought, epidemic diseases which are harmful to human beings force people to leave rural areas to towns. Recently people have been forced to move out of Rakai and Lyantonde due to aids epidemic.
• Social factors such as male circumcision in Bugishu and female mutilation in Sebai cause the youth to run away to Jinja, Mbale, Gulu and Kampala.
• Excessive population in rural areas like in Kisoro, Sironko, Kabale, Mbale, has led to population explosion on land causing the disadvantaged to migrate to towns.

Effects/consequences of rural urban migration

Rural urban migration has got both positive and negative effects on both rural areas and urban areas. These include;

• It has resulted into depopulation of rural areas of Kiboga, Sembabule causing a negative effect on agricultural development since movement includes escaping of energetic men and women.
• It has resulted into rapid growth of urban areas; however this has got problems such as slum growth, un-employment, high crime rate, poor sanitation like in Kampala suburbs of Katanga, Kisenyi, Kamwokya, etc.
• It has resulted into racial ethnicity diversity which leads to racial conflicts and tension like in central region. This is because movement involves all kinds of citizens.
• It has resulted into intermarriages between tribes which has led to loss of traditional values and culture. This has increased on immoralities and sexual abuse like in Wakiso and Kampala.
• Since rural urban migration increases population in towns, this puts government to task to provide social infrastructure like water, health, education, security, which may drain government budget.
• Rural urban migration may lead to famine due to the decline in agriculture since the energetic men and women who would have facilitated agricultural development in rural areas moved to towns.
• It increases encroachment on wetlands and swamps in cities like Kampala in search for land for settlement. This later result into floods and disease outbreak like in Bwaise, Lubigi, Lugogo, etc.
• Rural urban migration leads to traffic and human congestion in urban areas of Kampala, Jinja and this causes delays especially during rush hours and easy disease spread.
• Positively, rural urban migration is an important source of labour especially unskilled in urban centres. Such labour is used for industrial development like in Mbale and Jinja.
• Rural urban migration leads to land consolidation in rural areas and useful utilization of the available resources by the remaining people in villages.

Solution to rural urban migration

• Addressing the issue of regional economic imbalance through creating employment opportunities and industries in rural areas.
• Agricultural modernization to help to increase on the rate of employment generation in rural areas.
• Controlling the rate of population growth so as to match the number of people to the available resources through family planning.
• Encouraging rural to rural migrations through allowing voluntary migrations from densely populated areas of rural to sparsely populated rural areas.
• Establishing large scale resettlement schemes to help check on this negative phenomena.
• Setting up of social amenities in rural areas like health, education, water, recreation, electricity, etc.
• Fighting against such cultural and traditional practices like forced marriages, circumcision, mutilation, polygamy, etc.