About IWGIAIndigenous peoples in Uganda
Indigenous peoples in Uganda include the traditional hunter/gatherer Batwa communities, also known as Twa and Benet, and pastoralist groups such as the Karamojong and the Ik. They are not specifically recognized as indigenous by the government.
The Benet, who number around 20,000 people, live in the north-eastern part of Uganda and are former hunter/gatherers. The 6,700 or so Batwa, who live primarily in the south-western region of Uganda, are also former hunter/gatherers. They were dispossessed of their ancestral land when the Bwindi and Mgahinga forests were gazetted as national parks in 1991.
The Constitution has no express protection for indigenous peoples but provides for affirmative action in favour of marginalized groups. The Land Act of 1998 and the National Environment Statute of 1995 protect customary interests in land and traditional uses of forests. However, these laws also authorize the government to exclude human activities in any forest area by declaring it a protected forest, thus nullifying the customary land rights of indigenous peoples.
Uganda has never ratified the ILO Convention 169, but is a signatory to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Download the 2011 yearbook article on indigenous peoples in Uganda to read more about major developments and events during 2010
