Browsing by Author "Kwiringira, Japheth Nkiriyehe"

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Experiences of gender based violence among refugee populations in Uganda: evidence from four refugee camps
(Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review., 2018-01) Kwiringira, Japheth Nkiriyehe; Mutabazi, Marion Mugisha; Mugumya, Firminus; Kaweesi, Edward; Munube, Deogratias; Rujumba, Joseph
In refugee generating situations, flight conditions and actual refugee circumstances, Gender Based Violence take different forms like rape, female genital mutilation, physical, psychological and emotional abuse, defilement and bride kidnapping in the name of 'early marriage' and sexual harassment among others. These forms are heightened by the adverse conditions of lack of basic needs, unequal power relations, breakdown of institutions of social control and order, exposure to the dangers of group violence and low capacity of protection agencies both local and international, and the host governments. This study intended to detail refugee experiences of Gender Based Violence among refugees in Uganda as well as the associated factors. We conducted a qualitative study and used content-thematic approach analysis. While there was high GBV awareness; this did not translate into reduced susceptibility. Detection, prevention and response to GBV were curtailed by an intersectionality of unequal power relations, poverty, and a multiplicity of cultures that concealed the nature, extent and reality of GBV. Effective GBV prevention requires an array of interventions and 'capacities' especially access to basic needs for individuals and households. Our findings aver that, gender based violence is endemic in peripheral hard to reach, conflict and post-conflict settings than in more stable communities due to underreporting and concealment that are associated with numerous capacity challenges in access and utilisation of the available services. The extreme conditions that refugees go through during displacement, flight and resettlement tend to exacerbate and sustain GBV.
Livelihood risk, culture, and the HIV interface: evidence from lakeshore border communities in Buliisa district, Uganda
(Journal of Tropical Medicine., 2019) Kwiringira, Japheth Nkiriyehe; Ariho, Paulino; Zakumumpa, Henry; Mugisha, James; Rujumba, Joseph; Mugisha, Marion Mutabazi
While studies have focused on HIV prevalence and incidence among fishing communities, there has been inadequate attention paid to the construction and perception of HIV risk among fisher folk. There has been limited research with respect to communities along Lake Albert on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Methods. We conducted a qualitative study on three landing sites of Butiaba, Bugoigo, and Wanseko on the shores of Lake Albert along the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Data were collected using 12 Focus Group Discussions and 15 key informant interviews. Analysis was done manually using content and thematic approaches. Results. Lakeshore livelihoods split families between men, women, and children with varying degrees of exposure to HIV infection risk. Sustaining a thriving fish trade was dependent on taking high risks. For instance, profits were high when the lake was stormy. Landing sites were characterized by widespread prostitution, alcohol consumption, drug abuse, and child labour. Such behaviors negatively affected minors and in many ways predisposed them to HIV infection. The lake shore-border heterogeneity resulted in a population with varying HIV knowledge, attitudes, behavior, and competencies to risk perception and adaptation amidst negative masculinities and negative resilience. Conclusion. The susceptibility of lakeshore communities to HIV is attributable to a complex combination of geo-socio, the available (health) services, economic, and cultural factors which converged around the fishing livelihood. This study reveals that HIV risk assessment is an interplay of plural rationalities within the circumstances and constraints that impinge on the daily lives by different actors. A lack of cohesion in a multiethnic setting with large numbers of outsiders and a large transient population made the available HIV interventions less effective.
Most significant changes from women’s economic empowerment and pathways from Ugandan women in the agro-value chain
(Discover Global Society, 2025-11-07) Kwiringira, Japheth Nkiriyehe; Amuge, Grace Esther; Okimait, David; Perry, Elizabeth W.; Nakalyowa, Luggya Deborah; Isabirye, Alone; Otim, Jude; Ganafa, Sumani; Rujumba, Joseph; Zakumumpa, Henry; Mugisha, James
Traditional evaluation models often rely on predefined indicators set by program designers, limiting the ability to capture emerging and lived outcomes. This study examines the impact of Women’s Economic Empowerment from beneficiaries’ perspectives using the Most Significant Change approach. A qualitative exploratory study was conducted in Kampala and Wakiso, Uganda, utilizing focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and in-depth interviews among adult women who had waned off WEE support, supplemented by a literature review. Thematic analysis identified (5) significant domains of change at the waning of women’s economic empowerment support, including increased responsibility, community respect, improved mental health, stronger family relations, and enhanced confidence and agency. Challenges such as polygamous relationships, competitive dynamics, and the effects of COVID-19 hindered women’s empowerment outcomes. Pathways to significant change were: goal setting, peer and family support, resilience, and self-recognition of progress. Findings suggest that women’s empowerment should not focus solely on economic empowerment but must also address social and political dimensions of power, participation and inclusion. Women valued respect over power. Sustainable empowerment requires the active inclusion of men to mitigate adversarial gender dynamics. These findings reflect the need for inclusive development approaches to attain lasting societal progress.
The prevalence of depression and anxiety and associated factors among school-going adolescents in poverty and conflict-affected settings in Uganda
(BMC Psychiatry, 2025-11-15) Mugisha,James; Ward, Philip B.; Kinyanda, Eugene; Kwiringira, Japheth Nkiriyehe; Mpungu, Steven Kiwuwa; Wadiembe, Symon; Van Damme, Tine; Vancampfort , Davy
Background Schools could play a vital role in mental health care, particularly in low-income countries such as Uganda. An understanding of the prevalence and associated factors of mental health symptoms among school-going adolescents is essential for designing effective school-based interventions in Uganda This is important given Uganda’s regional disparities, where adolescents in post-conflict areas may face higher exposure to trauma and limited access to mental health care compared to those in non-conflict regions. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence rates of depressive and anxiety symptoms among school-going adolescents aged 14 to 17 years in both post-conflict and non-conflict settings. It also examines factors associated with moderate depressive and anxiety symptoms in both settings. Methods In total, 2845 school-going adolescents (1,273 boys; 16.3 ± 1.0 years) were screened using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 – adolescent version, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, and self-report items on food insecurity, health and wealth status, history of childhood abuse and neglect and level of physical activity. Logistic regression models were applied to examine predictors of moderate to severe levels of depression and anxiety symptoms. Results Findings indicate that 67.5% (n = 1905) reported at least mild, 34.1% (n = 962) at least moderate, 12.7% (n = 359) at least moderate-severe and 4.9% (n = 138) severe symptoms of depression, while 65.6% (n = 1860) at least mild, 27.5% (n = 777) at least moderate and 7.8% (n = 219) severe symptoms of anxiety. In the multivariable analyses, female sex, food insecurity, poor self-reported health, co-morbid anxiety symptoms, and a history of abuse and neglect were all significantly associated with a higher odds of moderate symptoms of depression, while female sex, living in a post-conflict setting, food insecurity, poor self-reported health, co-morbid depressive symptoms, and a history of abuse were all significantly associated with a higher odds of moderate anxiety symptoms. Conclusions A substantial proportion of school-going adolescents in Uganda report at least moderate symptoms of depression and anxiety. Government and public sector agencies should re-evaluate their strategies at both family and school levels, particularly in underserved settings. Schools can serve as platforms for screening-and-referral pathways and group-based psychosocial programs, while the health system should strengthen capacity for co-occurring conditions.
Urban child poverty in Kampala city, insights from children’s drawings
(Discover Global Society, 2025-08-08) Kwiringira, Japheth Nkiriyehe; Okimait, David; Perry, Elizabeth W.; Akugizibwe, Mathias; Otim, Jude; Bhangyi, Venesio Bwambale; Balyejjusa, Moses Senkosi; Mugisha, James; Isabirye, Alone; Rujumba, Joseph
In many urban areas, rapid urbanization, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, has overwhelmed technical and administrative capacity to provide adequate services. This has led to various challenges of urban sustainability, including urban child poverty, known to worsen the cognitive and emotional well-being of such children. We aimed to gain an understanding of and provide evidence on urban child poverty in Uganda through children’s diagrammatic representations of the drivers, effects, and needed interventions. We used children’s drawings, in-depth interpretations of these drawings, and observations. Using a two-stage sampling strategy, data were collected from four poor slum zones within Kampala city. Through purposive sampling, 26 deprived slum dwelling children aged between 7 and 15 years, who were willing to take part in the study, were asked to share their stories regarding their experiences of urban poverty using drawings, and generating narratives about them. Data analysis was done using a participatory design of the code-book, drawing visualization, and analysis. Some verbatim statements were also picked directly from raw data and used to strengthen this analysis and reporting. Children were well conversant with the problem of urban child poverty based on its causes, manifestations, and effects. Children expressed that urban child poverty was linked to domestic violence, lack of parental care, chronic sickness, orphanhood, and the absence of child support services in the community. Effects of urban poverty included the inability to use medical facilities, lack of access to information, ill health, coping with street life through violence, poor shelter, overcrowding, lack of social capital, and being excluded from basic decision-making processes at all levels. There is also a need to build on the available child rights initiatives in urban areas and elsewhere as a means to reduce these urban distortions. Continuous investment in research to present the different experiences of urban vulnerable groups should also be done to underpin evidence-based urban programming.
When will the doctor be around so that I come by?!’ Geo-socio effects on health care supply, access and utilisation: experiences from Kalangala Islands, Uganda
(BMC Health Services Research, 2021-10-26) Kwiringira, Japheth Nkiriyehe; Mugisha, James; Akugizibwe, Mathias; Ariho, Paulino
The study set out to give an in-depth intersection of geo, eco-socio exposition of the factors relating to geography, healthcare supply and utilization in an island setting. This analysis is informed by what has emerged to be known as social epidemiology. We provide in-depth explanation of context to health care access, utilization and outcomes. We argue that health care delivery has multiple intersections that are experientially complex, multi-layered and multi-dimensional to the disadvantage of vulnerable population segments of society in the study area.