ISSN 2039-2117 (online) ISSN 2039-9340 (print) Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences MCSER Publishing, Rome-Italy Vol 5 No 23 November 2014 1763 Perceptions of Poverty among the Marginalised: A Case of Members of Community Based Groups in Kaabong and Kotido Districts, Uganda Victoria A. Namukwaya Bugema University, Graduate School, Department of Development Studies, Kampala, Uganda Israel Kibirige University of Limpopo, Polokwane, South Africa Israel.Kibirige@ul.ac.za Doi:10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n23p1763 Abstract The study was carried out to explore perceptions of poverty among members of Community Based Groups (CBGs) in Kaabong and Kotido districts in Uganda. Random sampling was used to select four CBGs and the study participants were selected using opportunistic sampling. The study adopted a qualitative approach and employed face to face interviews for data collection. Data was analysed using narrative analysis. The study established that while outsiders perceive the people of Karamoja to be victims of chronic poverty, the study participants did not perceive themselves to be poor and their definitions of who is poor greatly differed from popular definitions. The study, therefore, recommends that community development strategies should endeavour to understand the perceptions of the people affected by a particular problem to be addressed. Understanding these perceptions is critical in designing interventions and policies to address the problem. Effective policy instruments designed to address poverty, for instance, should include the broad social and political dimensions, as well as the aspirations of people living in poverty; and these depend on the poor people’s perceptions of poverty. Keywords: perceptions, poverty, marginalised, social exclusion, the poor 1. Introduction Addressing poverty is one of the challenges of the twenty-first century and there is increasing concern that many development interventions have not yielded sustainable development outcomes. While poverty is believed to be rampant in various countries, its definitions and perceptions differ from society to society. How poverty is perceived and defined by policy makers and development actors is critical to designing relevant poverty alleviation policies and interventions. On the other hand, the poor people’s perceptions of poverty are the basis for aspirations and intrinsic motivation towards positive change, which is the purpose of development interventions. It is thus important to establish the poor people’s views of the problem, since these will influence their attitude and level of participation in the respective poverty alleviation interventions. 2. The Setting Located in North-eastern Uganda, Kotido and Kaabong districts are part of Karamoja region. The people of Karamoja are predominantly nomadic pastoralists who have lived as a marginalised group due to their unique and challenging lifestyles (Owiny, 2006). The region registers some of the least development indicators in Uganda; with lowest literacy rates, high disease burden and infant mortality as well as poor infrastructure (UNOCHA, 2009). It is estimated that eighty two percent of the people in Karamoja are living in poverty (UNOCHA, 2009). Due to the appalling living standards in the region, there are numerous development agencies carrying out humanitarian and development work in Karamoja in a bid to improve the people’s quality of life. The most recent development trend employed by many of the agencies is encouraging the poor people to work in Community Based Groups (CBGs). 3. Statement of the Research Problem While poverty alleviation is at the heart of the global agenda, studies indicate that poverty alleviation programmes have