Consultancy for KCCA Urban Refugee Coordination Framework

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Background and justification
Kampala is Uganda’s capital and a major destination for refugees, asylum seekers and other mobile populations. Many public institutions, humanitarian and development partners, civil-society organisations, private providers and refugee-led organisations operate in the city. As at end of August 2026, 8.5% of Uganda’s 2,041,652 refugees & asylum seekers live in Kampala and the surrounding areas. KCCA requires a practical mechanism that identifies these actors, clarifies their roles, coordinates services and referrals, and align their agreed interventions with city priorities.
KCCA in partnership with the Refugees in East Africa: Boosting Urban Innovations for Livelihoods Development(Re:BUiLD) program at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is commissioning this assignment to establish the KCCA Urban Refugee Coordination Mechanism. The mechanism shall be embedded in KCCA’s structures and linked to the National Migration Policy 2025, National Migration Action Plan 2025–2029, KCCA Strategic Plan and ordinary city planning and budgeting systems.
Purpose and specific objectives
Purpose: To establish a KCCA-led Urban Refugee Coordination Mechanism that aligns actors, clarifies responsibilities, coordinates urban refugee interventions, and mobilizes and tracks stakeholder contributions through a transparent and accountable system linked to KCCA structures and strategic plan.
Specific objectives:
Develop a practical KCCA-led coordination mechanism specifying membership, leadership, institutional roles, decision-making, referrals, information sharing, reporting and accountability arrangements.
Secure stakeholder agreement and operational readiness for the proposed mechanism by testing their institutional, legal, technical and financial feasibility; agreeing on roles and initial contribution commitments; incorporating stakeholder feedback; and preparing a costed 90-day activation plan for KCCA approval.
Define and articulate the complementary role of the KCCA Refugee Coordination Mechanism within the broader refugee response architecture, clarifying how it will interface with existing national, city-level, humanitarian, development, and private sector coordination mechanisms to strengthen refugee inclusion, improve equitable access to urban services, and promote sustainable economic self-reliance for refugees and host communities in and around Kampala.
Produce a comprehensive snapshot of the urban refugee population in Kampala, including demographic characteristics, geographic distribution, socio-economic profile, access to services, livelihood opportunities, and key challenges affecting refugee inclusion and self-reliance.
Undertake a financial landscape analysis to assess current, available, and potential resources that can support implementation of the KCCA framework
Scope of service
A. Inception and actor mapping
Confirm the work plan and rapidly map KCCA units, divisions, national institutions, UN agencies, development partners, CSOs, refugee-led organisations and private providers, showing mandates, services, geographic coverage, resources and coordination relationships.
B. Current Coordination assessment
Review existing coordination, referrals, planning and reporting; identify gaps and overlaps; and map current and potential cash and in-kind contributions from KCCA, relevant national institutions, UN agencies, development partners, CSOs, philanthropic organisations and the private sector.
C. Actor consultations
Consult KCCA leadership, relevant directorates and all five divisions, MIA, OPM, MoLG, service and security actors, UN agencies, partners, CSOs, refugee-led organisations, refugees and host communities. Record decisions and unresolved issues.
D. Coordination mechanism design
Design the KCCA-led mechanism, including purpose, membership, chairing, secretariat/focal function, technical working arrangements, division focal points, decision rights, meeting cycle, escalation, partner alignment and community representation.
E. Operating arrangements and tools
Prepare an actor register, role matrix, annual coordination calendar, action and decision logs, referral protocol, service directory, reporting template, complaints/feedback process and lawful data-sharing standards.
F. Activation and capacity plan
Prepare a costed 90-day activation plan, first-year coordination work plan, capacity requirements and immediate financing actions. Distinguish KCCA mainstream expenditure, incremental costs and partner contributions.
G. Validation and finalisation
Facilitate KCCA-led technical and stakeholder validation, resolve comments, complete legal, finance, planning, data and safeguarding checks, and submit the mechanism for KCCA management approval.
Methodology
The firm or individual consultant shall apply a rapid, participatory and practical mixed-methods approach combining desk review, analysis of available administrative and programme data, key-informant interviews, actor and financing mapping, focused consultations, co-design sessions and validation. The methodology shall generate evidence for designing a coordination mechanism that can be implemented within KCCA’s existing structures.
As an initial step, the firm or individual consultant shall prepare a concise snapshot analysis of the urban refugee situation in Kampala. Using available KCCA, OPM, UBOS, UNHCR and partner data, the analysis shall show:
Available estimates and profiles of refugees and asylum seekers, disaggregated by sex, age, nationality, location and vulnerability, where data permit.
Their distribution across Kampala’s five divisions and major refugee-hosting communities.
Priority needs, protection risks and barriers to accessing city services.
Available services in livelihoods, education, health, protection, documentation, shelter, WASH, skills development and social assistance.
Service coverage, accessibility, duplication, unmet needs and referral and service gaps.
The extent to which urban refugees are included in KCCA plans, budgets and service-delivery systems.
The firm or individual consultant shall conduct an actor and service-mapping exercise covering KCCA directorates and divisions, relevant ministries and government agencies, UN agencies, development partners, civil-society organizations, refugee-led organizations, private-sector actors, philanthropic organizations and representatives of refugee and host communities. The mapping shall identify each actor’s mandate, services, target groups, geographical coverage, resources, referral arrangements, coordination platforms and potential role in the proposed KCCA mechanism.
A financing analysis shall also be undertaken to establish, as far as information is available, current and prospective cash and in-kind contributions supporting urban-refugee priorities. It shall identify potential contributors to the financing basket, existing funding channels, financing gaps, contribution modalities and the legal, institutional and fiduciary requirements for managing stakeholder contributions.
Findings shall be presented through a concise situation snapshot, actor and service matrix, coverage and gap analysis, financing map and priority action summary. The consultant shall verify the findings through consultations and co-design sessions with KCCA, national institutions, partners, service providers and refugee representatives. The validated evidence shall directly inform the membership, roles, operating procedures, service-referral arrangements and financing design.
All engagement shall be voluntary, confidential, protection-sensitive and compliant with applicable data-protection and safeguarding requirements. The assignment shall use existing information wherever possible and shall not involve refugee registration, biometric data collection or determination of refugee status.
Deliverables, timing and payment
1. Inception report - Week 1
Final methodology, work plan, stakeholder-engagement plan, safeguards, quality controls and approved data-collection tools - 50%
2. Actor and contribution map - Week 4
Actor/mandate/service register; coordination-gap analysis; current and prospective stakeholder cash and in-kind contribution map; priority issues and consultation record.
3. Draft mechanism - Week 7
Draft KCCA coordination mechanism, actor platform, financing-basket design, situation snap shot, governance and fiduciary arrangements, operating tool