The causes of rural poverty in Uganda: a case study of Wakiso Sub County, Wakiso District.

Abstract

The problem of rural poverty in Uganda has persisted despite the various efforts by the government to alleviate it and its continued existence has impacted negatively on the overall development efforts in the country. This study sought to investigate the causes of rural poverty in Uganda, with a specific focus on Wakiso Sub-County found in the central part of the country. The results from this study have confirmed the observed phenomenon of a high level of rural poverty in Uganda. The most significant causes were found to be; large size of households, low education levels attained by the household heads, low asset holdings and insufficient expenditure on essential needs of life. It was recommended that greater attention should be focused on the provision of education to the poor, greater support for alternative income generating activities and encouraging the population to control the sizes of their families. Other recommendations included the provision of low rate credit facilities and encouraging the poor to diversify their asset holding.