The discovery of commercially viable oil and gas in the Albertine graben of Uganda in 2006, like in many other countries, motivated and attracted the movements of many actors, with varying sets of skills, interests and policy responses in the region. This is due to the perceived opportunities that people want to access. Several studies have documented the international and local dimensions of these movements in oil-producing regions, especially the resistance, attitudes, and grievances that tend to develop among indigenous populations. These debates are particularly important, especially for Uganda as an emerging oil-producing country.
This research applied an ethnographic approach to explore several overlapping layers and multiple processes through which the migration of people from many other parts of Uganda into Albertine Graben impacts socio-cultural, economic, and political realities of communities in the region. It particularly examined the current changes taking place in the oil-producing communities within the Hoima district. It focused on how peoples from diverse cultures, and with different interests and expectations are dealing with these changes. It also explored how people’s ethnic and other social identities raise identity threats for them and still help them to navigate group boundaries and integrate into them given these challenges. Lastly, it explored how different stakeholders design policies and frameworks to mitigate and address grievances and conflicts emerging from within and across indigenous and migrant communities in such a fragile context.
This study not only explains how the Ugandan oil-producing region is experiencing an inflow of migrants from various social and cultural backgrounds; it also demonstrates how communities surrounding this region are impacted by this inflow. An important finding in this respect is how the inflow has increased pressure on existing but weakened social service provisions as well as a rising cost of living. This tends to motivate unhealthy competition among indigenous and migrant communities for the limited livelihood opportunities, especially land which further attracts historical grievances associated with land access and use. It is therefore concluded that while migration into the Albertine region is largely attributable to the discovery of oil and its development-related activities, historical grievances are also being attracted to the emerging challenges. It is recommended that in order to adequately manage the influx, there is a need for more attention to be paid to initiatives that support and regulate movement and settlement of both migrant and indigenous peoples.