Following the Oil Road A case study assessing the vulnerability of women under the impact of development-induced migration in Western Uganda M.Sc Thesis International Development Studies Catharina Nickel Wageningen University Student number 851018-599-080 July 2016 Following the Oil Road A case study assessing the vulnerability of women under the impact of development-induced migration in Western Uganda Catharina Nickel July 2016 M.Sc. Thesis International Development Studies Communication, Philosophy and Technology Group WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Han van Dijk Examiner: Dr. Gemma van der Haar Copyright 2016 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means without the prior consent of the author. Abstract The objective of this M.Sc. thesis is to assess the vulnerability of women under the impact of the development-induced migration that is currently taking place in the Lake Albert basin in Western Uganda. It provides a “snapshot” of the current situation in Hoima and Buliisa and intends to support the wider documentation of the social implications connected to the envisioned oil drilling activities in Western Uganda. This information will better enable scientists and practitioners to reconstruct the advent of certain social structures, even at a later stage in the process. The research presented builds on well-known studies regarding the relationship between natural resources and conflict. Moreover, it uses common approaches in the field of disaster risk reduction theory to determine the vulnerability of households and individuals. Designed as an exploratory case study, theories are used as a starting point and followed by closer examination of real-life cases, enabling the development of a deeper understanding. The thesis summarizes the findings of field research conducted from October to December 2015 in Hoima, Buliisa and Kampala. Following a qualitative multi-method approach, individual interviews and focus group discussions were carried out in each of the three locations, and additional in-depth research into literature was completed. Table of Contents Section 1 – Background, Methods and Conceptual Tools ................................................................................. 1 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Problem Description .......................................................................................................................... 3 1.2 Research Question ............................................................................................................................. 6 1.2.1 Sub-Research Questions ............................................................................................................ 6 2 Theoretical Background ............................................................................................................................ 8 2.1 Oil and Conflict ................................................................................................................................. 8 2.2 Development-Induced Migration .................................................................................................... 10 2.3 The Double-Structured Nature of Vulnerability .............................................................................. 12 2.3.1 The External Side of Vulnerability ......................................................................................... 14 2.3.2 The Internal Side of Vulnerability .......................................................................................... 15 2.4 The Vulnerability of Women ........................................................................................................... 17 2.5 The Meaning of Land ...................................................................................................................... 19 2.6 Stakeholders .................................................................................................................................... 23 3.1 The Exploratory Character of the Study .......................................................................................... 26 3.2 Research Set Up .............................................................................................................................. 27 3.2.1 In-depth Literature Review ..................................................................................................... 28 3.2.2 Focus Group Discussions ....................................................................................................... 29 3.2.3 Individual Interviews .............................................................................................................. 30 3.3 Sampling Method for Discussions and Interviews ............................................................................. 31 3.3.1 Sampling Method for Focus Group Discussions ......................................................................... 32 3.3.2 Sampling Method for Individual Interviews ................................................................................ 33 3.4 Data Analysis ....................................................................................................................................... 34 3.4.1 Qualitative Coding ....................................................................................................................... 34 3.4.2 Calculation of the Level of Saturation ......................................................................................... 35 Section 2 – Findings and Analysis .................................................................................................................. 38 4 Literature Review: From the General to the Specific .............................................................................. 38 4.1 Regional focus: Western Uganda .................................................................................................... 38 4.2 Context: The Abundance of Oil and the Means of Reducing Poverty ............................................ 42 4.3 “Governing the resources well” ....................................................................................................... 44 4.4 Economic Perspectives .................................................................................................................... 50 4.5 Social Constraints: Information and Participation as Determinants of Vulnerability ..................... 53 4.6 Environmental Determinants of Vulnerability ................................................................................ 57 4.7 Land Issues ...................................................................................................................................... 58 4.8 Forced Migration ............................................................................................................................. 61 4.9 The role of women .......................................................................................................................... 64 5 Findings of the field research .................................................................................................................. 67 5.1 Individual Interviews & Focus Group Discussions with the Affected Women............................... 68 5.1.1 “The oil” is to blame ................................................................................................................ 73 5.2 Focus Group Discussions ............................................................................................................... 75 5.2.1 Focus group discussion in Buliisa ........................................................................................... 76 5.2.2 Focus group discussions in Nyakasenene and Kabaale Parish (province Hoima) ................... 79 5.3 Interviews with non-governmental actors ....................................................................................... 82 5.3.1 “This is not only about governance, this is about morals.” ............................................................ 84 5.4 Interviews with governmental actors .............................................................................................. 86 5.4.1 “Our hands are tied.” ...................................................................................................................... 88 6 Discussion and conclusions ..................................................................................................................... 90 References ..................................................................................................................................................... 100 Appendix A ................................................................................................................................................... 112 Appendix B .................................................................................................................................................... 114 Appendix C .................................................................................................................................................... 117 Appendix D ................................................................................................................................................... 124 List of figures Fig. 1, Overview