Assessing Uganda’s National Climate Change Policy: Water, Governance, and Climate Finance for Nomadic Pastoralists in Karamoja

Climate change continues to threaten pastoral livelihoods in arid and semi-arid regions, particularly in Uganda’s Karamoja sub-region, where nomadic pastoralism remains the foundation of local economies. Despite the implementation of Uganda’s National Climate Change Policy (NCCP) in 2015, pastoralist communities still experience limited access to water and grazing land, weak stakeholder engagement, and minimal benefit from climate financing. This study assessed the effects of the NCCP on the livelihoods of nomadic pastoralists in Rengen Sub-county, Kotido District, focusing on three key policy components: water source management, stakeholder engagement, and climate financing. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was employed, integrating data from 234 households selected through stratified random sampling and 20 key informants purposively chosen from local leaders, government officials, and development partners. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation in SPSS, while qualitative data were examined thematically. Findings indicated that water source management under the NCCP significantly improved access to water and grazing resources, thereby enhancing livestock health and productivity. However, inadequate maintenance of water facilities and weak alignment with pastoral mobility patterns limited overall effectiveness. Stakeholder engagement was found to be largely top-down, with insufficient inclusion of traditional institutions and pastoralist voices, particularly women. Climate financing supported localized interventions such as valley tanks and rangeland restoration but remained constrained by centralized allocation systems, weak institutional capacity, and low transparency. The study concludes that while the NCCP has made measurable progress in building pastoral resilience, its implementation remains fragmented and insufficiently responsive to the socio-cultural and ecological realities of mobile pastoralism. The research recommends strengthening participatory governance, prioritizing mobile water infrastructure, enhancing community access to climate finance, and integrating indigenous knowledge into adaptation planning. These findings provide evidence-based insights for policymakers and development partners seeking to design more inclusive, flexible, and context-specific climate interventions in Uganda’s pastoral regions.

National Climate Change Policy, nomadic pastoralists

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