The soil samples were taken in collaboration with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) at different soil depths in the refugee area Adjumani in northern Uganda in 2001. This dataset holds some general soil properties: soil texture, soil pH, total organic carbon concentration (TOC), total nitrogen concentration (TN), and cation exchange capacity (CEC). Soil analyses were carried out at the soil laboratory of the centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD) in Montpellier. This study received financial support from the Fonds Français pour l'Environnement Mondial (FFEM) under the pilot project Framework for Assessing, Monitoring and Evaluating the environment in refugee-related operations (FRAME).