About ARDHI

Who we are, why we exist, and the values guiding our work.

Who We Are

Ardhi Law & Policy Initiative (ARDHI) is a Ugandan based non-profit organization operating in Uganda and South Sudan dedicated to shaping policy, advancing justice, and driving transformative action across communities.

Our work is rooted in the belief that policy is a tool for equity, and that every community deserves fair access to food, land and a healthy sustainable environment. Through a blend of legal research, policy innovation, grassroots engagement, and strategic partnerships, we help build systems that work for everyone, especially the most vulnerable.

Our Case for Change

The Ardhi Law and Policy Initiative was founded in response to a profound crisis: the Kiteezi landfill landslide. This event did more than inflict damage; it exposed critical systemic failures across land, food security, public health, and environmental governance, leaving affected communities without adequate protection, rights, or institutional support. That tragedy underscored a fundamental truth: these challenges are deeply interconnected, and the failure of any single system immediately imperils the lives and dignity of the people.

We exist to prevent such systemic neglect from recurring. Ardhi Law and Policy Initiative is dedicated to bridging the divide between lived community realities and national legislative action, translating grassroots needs into effective systemic solutions. Our work is structured around five strategic pillars: agriculture and food security, resilient waste management, disaster management, health and inclusive land governance. Through this focus, we work to ensure that resilience is proactively built from the ground up, asserting every Ugandan’s fundamental right to thrive within a just and healthy environment.

Thriving, resilient communities with fair access to land, food, health, and a safe environment empowered to protect today and shape tomorrow.

ARDHI advances climate-smart agriculture, resilient waste systems, disaster preparedness, health access, and equitable land rights through community action and policy change that lasts.

Our
Guiding Values

We champion policies that safeguard natural resources for current and future generations.

We advocate for laws and systems that uplift marginalized communities and ensure justice for all.

We uphold transparency and ethical practices to build trust in every action we take.

We forge purposeful partnerships to amplify collective impact and drive lasting change.

Who We Serve

How We Drive Change

Our five pillars tackle Uganda’s most urgent challenges. Each one acts at two levels: impacting communities with direct action, and shaping policies for systemic change.

Fueling Change: Every contribution builds resilient communities.
Your support powers advocacy that protects lives and land.

Evidence to Action: Turning community voices into policy reform.
Partnering with leaders to shape laws that protect people and the planet.

Empowering Voices: From grassroots innovation to national impact.
Training, legal aid, and advocacy so no one is left behind.

Collaboration that multiplies impact.
Working with NGOs, institutions, and the private sector for systemic change.

Shaping the Narrative: Spotlighting urgent challenges and solutions.
Partnering with journalists to amplify community stories and drive accountability.

Founder's Story

For years, my role as a university lecturer centered on the intricate intersection of law, land economics, policy, and sustainable development. I found fulfillment in guiding my students through precedents, concepts, and theories, believing this academic rigor was my meaningful contribution not only to their growth but also to the progress of my country.

But everything I thought I knew changed in an instant after the Kiteezi Landfill disaster. This was no ordinary environmental crisis; it was a glaring wound in the fabric of our society. The slide buried homes, destroyed livelihoods, and tragically, took lives. The disaster stripped away the surface to reveal our vulnerability: food insecurity affecting those living day to day, a fragmented policy system unable to effectively coordinate disaster response, neglected public health risks, and land governance that left marginalized communities betrayed and unheard. At first, it felt like another distant case study, another brutal expose of systemic failure, a policy failure to dissect, until my phone rang. The call was a shockwave, or should I say, a spark. My own errand rider (boda-boda man, as we locally call them), a kind and hardworking man I knew, had lost his dear wife in this tragedy. Suddenly, policy failure was no longer a theoretical concept. It was personal.

This pivotal crisis transformed theory into a call for action. The classroom where I once dissected these issues felt painfully inadequate. My students and I had debated policy failures in abstract terms; now we faced the urgent need to create real, measurable change. The Ardhi Law and Policy Initiative was born out of this awakening. Ardhi to mean land or earth in Swahili, embodies the conviction that true, lasting progress grows from the roots of just laws, actions, and inclusive policies. It marked the leap from academic reflection to front-line community engagement, a mission to rebuild and strengthen the foundations of sustainable development where it matters most.