Poverty determinants in Uganda.

Abstract

This study examined and analyzed the key factors that determine poverty in Uganda so as to suggest possible policy options for government in poverty alleviation using data from the Uganda National Household Survey (UNHS) 2005/2006 data from Uganda Bureau of Statistics. The researcher used cross tabulation to investigate relationships between socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of the households and the poverty status and then logistic regression was used to determine significant determinants of poverty, five models were fitted (one National and Four Regional). The results from the study have confirmed that poverty is still concentrated in rural areas, households with big house hold sizes, those not exposed to education and those earn a living from agriculture; Northern Uganda was found to be the poorest region, almost half of the population below the poverty line with no significant inequalities between the Urban and Rural populations. However households with heads exposed to education, less reliant on agriculture as the most important source of earnings and the presence of markets to sell produce in the community experience improved household well-being

The study recommended that government should give priority to regions/ areas with high levels of poverty, greater attention should be focused on the provision of higher education to the poor, revitalization of cooperative societies ,extent credit facilities to the poor, support for alternative income generating activities in the rural areas and scaling up of family planning services in Uganda.