Department of Public Administration and Management

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Civil Society Organisations, Applied Research and Rural Development
(Applied Research and Rural Development, 2012) Mwesigwa, David
This research deals with the position of civil society organisation in sustaining rural growth through applied research. This is subsisting with the conclusion that the realisation of a successful rural development stratagem calls for a combined effort among all key stakeholders including the civil society. After all, the operational field for those organisations to bud and impact the livelihoods of their target communities is significant. The research further indicates that, however, owing to underperformance in the echelons of applied research and precision, civil society organisations do not seem to have taken full advantage of the prospects that their working environment presents, with the consequence that they have rolled out to be less industrious. Given that probability, by means of content examination and decisive scrutiny, the research discloses whether civil society organisations have attempted to carry out and gain from an open rural mass, accessible to them in most of East Africa, through applied research and thus turn out to be one of the feasible means of progress. Consequently, the research seeks to address three major concerns: Civil society organisations (background, operations, contribution, and achievements registered); Applied research (rational, strategic interventions, prospects, the missing link, and readiness versus capacity); and, Rural development (and the associated rural-urban divide).
Analysing the effect of English language proficiency on Councillor involvement in local council discussions in Uganda
(Loyola Journal of Social Sciences, 2015) Mwesigwa, David
Within most local governments in Uganda, annual assessments suggest that councillor involvement in council sessions has suffered from remarkable set-backs, and remains inadequate. Low involvement in council sessions is partly attributed to councillors' level of education - and hence their inability to adequately express themselves in spoken or written English, which is the official language of communication in Uganda. This paper evaluates the effect of English language proficiency on councillor involvement in council sessions across municipalities in Uganda. It draws on data collected from a survey of councillors selected using a simple random sample in five municipalities. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 171 respondents. The results demonstrate that four aspects of the English language - speaking, listening, reading and writing - have been critical to the level of councillor involvement. The findings further indicate that councillors who are relatively more proficient in English recognise the importance of its use and adoption in all activities of local municipalities. The outcomes attest that English language proficiency has a strong effect on local councillors' involvement in council sessions and local development programmes. This suggests that either (a) the basic level of education for candidates aspiring to join councils be stipulated; or (b) local languages should be used across all municipal council deliberations in the country, in order for councillors to be effectively involved in council sessions.
Citizen Participation and Policy Formulation: A Study of Bottom-up, Top-down, and Horizontal Scenarios in Local Councils in Western Uganda
(Administratio Publica, 2015) Mwesigwa, David; Mubangizi, Betty C
Abstract This article reports on research that aimed at assessing the contribution of citizen participation in policy formulation in Western Uganda. The central thesis statement was that “citizen participation has no significant contribution to policy formulation”. Using the case study design, the study focused on three districts (Hoima, Masindi and Kibaale), in Western Uganda. It was informed by Marxist Theory, and Pearson’s Linear Correlation Coefficients were used by drawing 173 respondents from selected sub-counties and a municipal division in Uganda’s Western region. It was found that citizen participation (bottom-up, top-bottom and horizontal) made a significantly positive contribution to policy formulation in the different elements of the dependent variables: problem identification, policy manifesto, policy agenda, policy debate, and policy decisions. It was therefore concluded that once the contribution of citizen participation to policy formulation is clearly considered, its improvement would be enormous. It is recommended that technical officials and local councillors, as critical components of the citizenry, be enabled to complement each other as partners–rather than as competitors–in order for them to take part in all the decisive stages of policy formulation in the district. In addition, mitigating the contribution of the factors negatively affecting successful citizen participation would go a long way towards improving the quality of policy formulation
The relationship between voters’ behaviour and electoral aggression in Uganda: a case of mid-western Uganda
(2015) Mwesigwa, David; Mubangizi, Betty C.
This investigation aimed to appraise election aggression and voter behaviour in Uganda. The rule of the thumb was used to draw the sample for the study. Copies of structured questionnaires were administered to the respondents using purposive sampling technique in two urban centres in mid-western Uganda, namely Hoima and Kigorobya. Using the analysis of variance and Bonferroni tests, as instruments of data analysis, findings suggested inter alia that voter motivation, political parties, voter perception and civic education have a strong contribution towards election aggression among voters in mid-western Uganda. Put different, forms of election aggression could be a result of voters’ perception, voter motivation, civic education and political parties. The mode of elections organized by government presents a closer relationship between election aggression and voter behaviour characterised by the four variables. Consequently, there was a significant positive relationship between election aggression and voter behaviour. Therefore, if factors promoting election aggression are to be dealt with so as to have a peaceful political system, the study submitted that political big-wigs should embrace the culture of attitudinal change and appreciate elections as a game in which there must always be a winner and a loser.
The Nascent Oil Industry in Uganda: Exploring its Impact on Ecotourism and Livelihoods
(Administratio Publica, 2016) Mwesigwa, David; Mubangizi, Betty C
Oil – a scarce resource with an ever-increasing demand is without doubt, the lifeblood of the world economy. Notwithstanding its unquestionable positive contribution to modern civilisation, oil production has negative effects. Generally referred to as the ‘oil curse’, these negative effects have environmental, economic, and societal consequences. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) encourages member countries to respond to environmental consequences and other socio-economic concerns at international level through macro-level indicators. There is, however, a growing conflict between communities and governments in the rising geopolitics of oil production, and this has the potential of being propelled beyond manageable levels. Food, wood fuel and the general ecosystem are likely to disappear permanently if left to the oil industries, and, without a pristine ecosystem, industrialisation and socio-economic welfare are less likely to thrive. This article discusses the possible impact of the oil industry on ecotourism in the Albertine Graben (AG) of Uganda and seeks to understand the expectations of grassroots communities with regard to the nascent oil industry. A total of 47 respondents were interviewed in three sub-counties in the proximity of the oil industry. Qualitative data analysis focuses on the themes of environmental conservation, grassroots education and community welfare. It is envisaged that the results of this study will guide further research in the area and contribute to the development of much needed policy and strategic interventions for the oil industry in Uganda.
Having people, having heart: charity, sustainable development, and problems of dependence in central Uganda
(Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2016) Ejang, Mary
China Sherz’s Having People, Having Heart: Charity, Sustainable Development and the Problem of Dependence in Central Uganda is a work of social science, specifically within the fields of sociology and anthropology, that seeks to explore the relationship between so-called sustainable development and the continuation of dependence by Uganda on other parts of the world. The book uses a case study approach and the design is qualitative. The study is situated in communities emerging from the National Resistance Army (NRA) bush war in Uganda (1981– 1986). The study uses two charities, Hope Child and Mercy House, both located in the Buganda Kingdom, to explore three key questions: What are the political stakes of charity and sustainable development? What is the relationship between charity, poverty and inequality? And, lastly, do those engaged in charity have a stake in keeping people in poverty so as to maintain a population to whom they can distribute the alms necessary to achieve their own salvation? The author combined ethnographic and survey methods to study the case of the two charity organizations. During ethnographic fieldwork, the author lived among 20 Buganda communities for 13 months (from 2007–2008 and in 2010), observing the routine practices of the people. Key informants from European and American donor organisations with long experience of working with vulnerable communities were drawn on for background purposes, follow-up and comparison. Sherz’ justification of her study area makes sense as the selected Buganda communities experienced the NRA bush war and were hard hit by the HIV/Aids scourge, thus attracting many NGOs in the recovery period. This situation is comparable to that in northern Uganda which has been affected by two decades of atrocities committed by the Lord’s Resistance Army and thus possesses similar characteristics. It would be helpful if the author had mentioned the specific villages and sub-county in the Buganda Kingdom in which the study was conducted to guide the readers.
Exploring the best practices of women-centred ecotourism enterprises in Bunyoro, Uganda
(African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 2016) Mwesigwa, David; Mubangizi, Betty C
As the millennium development goals (MDGs) were concluded at the end of 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a new development agenda–codenamed ‘the strategic development goals (SDGs)’, which among others seek to strengthen the socio-economic concerns of women globally. The less developing countries of Africa, especially those in the East African Community, have already adopted the SDGs in the development agenda where women, the youths and persons with disabilities are prioritised. Uganda has committed more resources towards strengthening and consolidating women’s welfare. Women in the countryside are expected to double their effort in initiating feasible enterprises that can help them move upwards from their current socio-economic condition; by so doing women’s vulnerability status will reduce and the rural society will prosper proportionately. This study is timely as it contributes to the women’s development agenda by specifically seeking strategies through which women can consolidate their economic prosperity through using the potential of ecotourism enterprise development.
Household Food Security in Uganda: Reflections on the Prosperity-For-All Programme
(Loyola journal of social sciences, 2016) Mwesigwa, David
Abstract: The objective of the Prosperity-For-All (PFA) programme is to transform rural and peri-urban poor households in order for them to achieve food security and to create wealth. While the government of Uganda aspires to promote household food security through the PFA model, several bottlenecks around the mode of implementation, selection of beneficiaries and role of intermediary agencies, remain unattended. One way to address this problem is to establish its contribution in terms of availability of food to household food security – as well as the contribution of access to food to household food security in mid-western Uganda from the beneficiaries’perspective. The phenomenological design was thus adopted to allow participants to describe their experiences of PFA vis-a-vis the household food security situation. Using judgmental sampling, 50 participants from four counties of mid-western Uganda were selected. It was established that, in the study area, while several households produced sufficient food, only 45% of the households visited reported availability of food throughout the year due to among other factors post-harvest losses in storage. Access to constant and adequate foodstuffs by households is hampered by low income and the high cost of transport to local food markets due to poor roads. The results suggest that the PFA programme has the potential to increase the availability of and access to household foodstuffs, if the pillars of production, value addition, marketing and microfinance, are prioritised in unison.
Collaborative planning as a prospect to nurturing domestic tourism: perspectives from service providers in mid-western Uganda
(African Journal of Hospitality, 2017) Mwesigwa, David; Mubangizi, Betty C
Abstract This article investigates how collaborative planning can be applied to nurture domestic tourism in midwestern Uganda. Available literature suggests that the country’s domestic tourism potential has not been given adequate consideration; instead more attention is directed to international tourism. The civil wars which afflicted the country between early 1970s to mid-1980s slowed the growth of tourism since the country relied on international tourism more than on domestic tourism. The medium-term growth strategies and outcomes of Uganda indicate that the tourism industry has been growing and contributing a substantial fraction of the country’s National Domestic Product (NDP) since the 1990s. The article focuses on the perspectives regarding the adoption the collaborative planning as a remedy to nurturing domestic tourism portfolio in Uganda. Data were collected in mid-western Uganda among a purposive sample of 32 participants using interviews. The results suggest that collaborative planning through both the internal and external inputs is essential for domestic tourism. Mid-western region is capable of making positive gains if stakeholders choose to collaborate in planning for the domestic tourism sub-sector. This is revealed by a view that Uganda has a wide range of destinations, services, activities and cultural opportunities which the citizenry can visit once collaborative planning is adopted.
Start-Ups and Youth Entrepreneurship as a Strategy for Reducing Youth Unemployment in Africa; Evidence from Gulu and Oyam Districts, Northern Uganda
(Management and Administrative Sciences Review, 2017) Uwonda, Gilbert; Ejang, Mary; Biromumeisho, Justus; Kansime, Clara; Ojok, Karlo
This paper presents a trend in the challenges in the youth unemployment with particular emphasis on Uganda taking northern Uganda as a case. Youth unemployment remains a serious development challenge in most developing countries with sub-Saharan African countries being the most affected. Despite the positive economic growth rates experienced in Africa over the past decade this growth has not generated sufficient and decent employment opportunities for the youth (AfDB et al., 2012, UNECA, 2011). In Uganda 64 percent of the youth (18 -30 years) remained unemployed (UBoS 2014) yet three quarters of the population are below the age of 30 years. This implies that in the near future the proportion of the youth is bound to surpass the adults hence posing strain on the meager resources that is already eminent in the high unemployment rate. We used qualitative and quantitative methods in this study and sampled two districts (Gulu and Oyam). We assessed the effectiveness of the Youth Livelihood Programme (YLP) in addressing unemployment challenges and promoting job creation among the youth. The findings indicate that while the guidelines in the implementation of the programme were adhered to the budget for the start-up was largely inadequate and the delays in disbursement of the funds greatly affect the performance of the groups. Inadequate training before disbursement of the funds also affected the performance of the groups. Amidst the challenges noted, the paper concludes that to a greater extent the YLP is creating self-employment for youth and thus needs to be sustained.
Migration and Public Service Delivery: The Status Quo and Policy Responses in Sending and Receiving Countries
(Springer International Publishing AG 2018, 2018) Mubangizi, Betty C; Mwesigwa, David
The recent wave of migration from the Middle East to Europe has brought the complexities of global migration into sharp focus. Images of human suffering, of determination and of triumph have dominated the media in the recent past. During this media hype, the tendency is to focus on the receiving and usually richer countries—and the severe impact this tends to have on their public services. Little attention, if ever, is paid to the sending countries, and, equally, the effect on their public services. Yet migration has significant effects on public service delivery in both the sending and receiving countries. This contribution explores the relationship between migration and public service delivery from both ends of the spectrum. It does so by firstly establishing a conceptual framework that places the discourse on public service delivery and migration in context. It then explores specific challenges in the public service sector—of both the sending and receiving countries. Lastly, the discussion shifts to a focus on the need to better manage the interface between migration and public service delivery through, amongst other things, better policy responses and further research
Enhancing employee performance using selected leadership styles of middle-line managers in the hospitality industry in Mid-Western Uganda
(Journal of Hospitality Management and Tourism,, 2018) Mwesigwa, David
This study explains the success of employee performance using selected leadership styles of middleline Hotel managers in Mid-western Uganda. The simple random sample included 196 employees from ten Hotels. The respondents completed the measures of styles of leadership (democratic, autocratic and laissez faire) and employee performance. Bivarriate correlations and regression matrices were used to test for the relationship of these distinct styles of leadership on employee performance. Results revealed that a style of leadership explains the degree of employee performance in the hospitality industry. Therefore, employees in the sector have reactive attributes to each of the selected styles of leadership exhibited to them. The results provide insight into the relationship between styles of leadership and employee performance in the hospitality industry. In particular, it was found that while employee performance is higher under a specific style of leadership that gives them freedom to exercise their abilities at the place of work, employee performance may exist in every style of leadership. From the employee perspective, we find that choice of a style of leadership has a significant effect on the degree of employee performance in the hospitality industry. These outcomes provide implications for future research in the aspect of leadership within the hospitality industry as well as insight and direction for
Implementation of the Uganda Support for Municipal Infrastructural Development for a Smart Municipality: A Survey of Hoima Municipality
(Loyola Journal of Social Sciences, 2018) Mwesigwa, David; Mubangizi, Betty C
The vision of attaining smart Cities and/or smart Municipalities as a mission towards sustainable development has gained much momentum in recent years. With a growing urban citizenry, the need for urban centres that have the potential to meet current and emerging challenges is imperative. Africa, in general, and Uganda, in particular, is not excluded from this predicament. It is important for the Government of Uganda to focus on the smartness of its emerging Cities given the view that much of its citizenry is urbanising rapidly. Consequently, this article discusses findings of a study on the prospects of attaining a smart Municipality in the context of Uganda's Support to Municipal Infrastructural Development (USMID) policy using Hoima Municipality as a case study. With its vast rural hinterland, Hoima municipality's potential lies in adopting bottom-up approaches to harness USMID policy, embarking on ICT-led projects, enhancing Municipal management and adopting strategic initiatives. The study reveals that Municipal initiatives towards smartness depend on technology, organisation, citizens in the Municipality, built infrastructure, and natural resources. Nonetheless, domestic challenges within Hoima Municipality remain key hurdles, necessitating stakeholders to utilise accessible technologies efficiently, improve management, invest in infrastructure and promote citizen engagement. The findings of this study bring into sharp focus the futility of the 'one size fits all' approach to planning for and funding of municipalities. Municipalities are differently endowed and rural based municipalities operate in unique conditions that will require unique responses if they are to acquire smart Municipality status.
Football betting among the youths in Lira municipality: Will livelihoods improve?
(International Journal of Development and Sustainability, 2018) Mwesigwa, David
Football betting is a complex and polarising issue in several urban centres in Uganda. This study explores the practice through a situation analysis of Lira Municipality, where a longitudinal study, incorporating three participatory methods (participant observation, interviews and storytelling) among twenty-eight participants was undertaken. Emerging themes were grouped into pathways of youth livelihood, football betting as a source of livelihood, the raison d'être for football betting, approaches used in football betting, and manoeuvring insubordination. It is noted that even if football’ betting is one of the ways of life that a number of youths have followed for some time; to others, pleasure, entertainment and a temporary livelihood strategy from which they will eventually “move on” are the key drivers. Since the government of Uganda decided to accredit a number of sports betting companies offering the service, the study reveals that the practice of football betting is expected to endure in future notwithstanding fresh bet-stars are conscripted or other sources of income be set up. While many the youths view football betting as a shameful activity that they would prefer to avoid if they had alternatives, a number of them consider football betting as a central part of their livelihood through which they can fulfil the expectations of their families and share responsibilities as members of the household. The study concludes that recognising those that perceive football betting as a provisional stage and those that perceive it as a livelihood path are important as the interventions to improve the youth livelihoods
The Contribution of Voter–Linked Expectations to Voter Turnouts in Mid-Western Uganda
(Administratio Publica, 2018) Mwesigwa, David; Mubangizi, Betty C
Voter-linked expectations contributed to voter turnouts in several elections, yet little is known of all the relevant dynamics. This article aims to examine the contribution of voter-linked expectations to voter turnouts during the 2016elections in mid-western Uganda. Using the Expectancy theory, the article considers seven factors that sway turnouts in a democratic election. The article is guided by a quantitative cross-sectional design and data was collected using a structured questionnaire administered to 230 respondents that were selected using a stratiﬁed random technique in four districts. Data is analysed using descriptive statistics and a concurrent equation logit model. It is established that voter-linked factors, namely: physical infrastructure, gender equality, agri-cultural extension services, universal education, peace and security, account-ability in governance and youth employment; contributed to turnouts during the 2016 national elections in mid-western Uganda. The article recommends that attempts should be made in mid-western Uganda to assess the trend of voter-linked expectations prior to and between elections, to raise turnouts.
Using farmer groups to empower smallholder rural farmers in Hoima district, mid-western Uganda
(International Journal of Development and Sustainability, 2018) Mwesigwa, David
Farmer groups are a widespread feature in Sub-Saharan African countries, and have become particularly important in Hoima district, mid-western Uganda. Recent surveys have revealed the importance of SmallHolder Farmer Groups in Uganda as a method for generating food, income, and employment. Government and Non-Governmental Organisations have encouraged rural farmers to join SHFGs so that extension services and agricultural inputs can be easily provided. Little information currently exists about the functioning of these groups, and whether their effectiveness can be improved. Research on FGs usually concentrates on the allegation that membership to the groups empowers farmers. This study investigates empowerment and Small-Holder Farmer Groups in Hoima district so as to find out whether SHFG membership is a basis of empowerment to small-holder farmers. The findings reveal that membership in itself has a fractional contribution to empowerment, whereas access to agricultural information and markets are major sources of empowerment. Nonetheless, the contribution of membership to the SmallHolder Farmer Group is necessary seeing that it can facilitate members to obtain essential information on a number of agricultural inputs and available markets. This paper draws on recent field-based research in which the experiences of members in fifteen SHFGs were investigated. Results reveal that through decisionmaking, inter-personal action and group action, Small-Holder Farmer Groups can be a possible channel for empowerment in Hoima district. However, information remains paramount and should be taken note of.
The Potential of a Power‑Sharing Government to Prevent Post‑election Violence in Uganda: Perspectives from Mid-Western Region
(Administratio Publica, 2019) Mwesigwa, David
Studies have revealed that a number of countries in the East African region have faced challenges in preventing post-election violence. Therefore, this article examined the potential of a Power-Sharing Government (PSG) to preventing post-election violence in Uganda. PSG is emerging as an issue, seeing that the country has endured post-election violence since the 2006 elections. A qualitative approach was used for data collection from key informants that were selected from four districts in mid-western Uganda; personal interviews were conducted with 16 senior politicians, eight members of civil society and four elders. The findings suggest that adopting the PSG approach facilitates a coalition to have authority to bargain in the interest of the country; a joint veto can lessen majority influence by allowing minority groups to prevent a change in policy; proportional representation can surpass the electoral system in a divided country; and equitable distribution of key positions in the national military can lead to sanity in the country’s defence sector. Consequently, the article concludes that PSG can succeed in mitigating potential post-election violence even if every ideal factor put forth by a con-sociational approach is not adopted in totality. It is recommended that political leaders and other stakeholders should seek possible means to achieving a comprehensive PSG
Using Advocacy to Enhance Green Municipalities in Uganda: A Study of Hoima Municipality
(South Asian Journal of Development Research,, 2019) Mwesigwa, David
In 2017, after launching, by thefirst Deputy Prime Minister of Uganda Moses Ali along with the UNDP country Director Almaz Gebru, a new green growth development strategy, key green growth issues and evolution into a green economy were presented in Uganda to guide national priorities in achieving both the National Development Plan II and the country’s Vision 2040. This article looks at achieving this strategy from the perspective of advocacy as a pathway to three components, viz. quality of water, waste disposal, and organic agriculture. It starts with an extensive review of green growth and discusses the achievements and difficulties for achieving green growth, as Nations, whose target aims to attain sustainable development worldwide by 2030. While advocacy has high prospects, the study maintains that green growth is a thorny strategy for municipalities in Uganda. In particular, the organisational structure in which they function as well as the political culture; the success of advocacy appears less plausible. It is recommended that advocacy should be bolstered so as to facilitate Hoima municipality to adopt the principles of green growth.
Financial Accessibility And Poverty Reduction In Northern Uganda, Lango Sub-Region
(International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research, 2019) Eton, Marus; Epiphany, Odubuker Picho; Ejang, Mary; Ogwel, Benard Patrick; Mwosi, Fabian
Access to a well-functioning financial system can economically and socially empower individuals and in particular poor people, allowing them to better integrate into the economy of their countries and to actively contribute to their development and protect themselves against economic shocks. The paper examined the contributions of financial accessibility in supporting poverty reduction in northern Uganda. A cross sectional study design was adopted. The data was collected by use of structured and closed ended questionnaire. The findings revealed that financial institutions had not done much to reach the poor, which limits their productivity capacity and capacity to acquire productive assets. While there are isolated pockets of poverty reduction as expressed by participants’ ability to own personal assets and easily manage their dependency burdens, a few individuals have access to better health facilities. The strides to promote financial accessibility are highly commendable, though poverty remains problematic even among those who have access to financial resources. The paper therefore recommends that financial institutions should endeavor to offer financial management training to clients before extending credit to them, especially clients with some noticeable levels of illiteracy. There is also need for a comprehensive analysis on the current poverty reduction models and their impact on the very poor, in terms of production capacity, owning productive assets and living meaningful lives.
Information and Communication Technology Adoption and the Growth of Small Medium Enterprises in Uganda: Empirical Evidence from Kampala City Council Authority
(2019) Eton, Marus; Okello-Obura, Constant; Mwosi, Fabian; Ogwel, Bernard Patrick; Ejang, Mary; Ongia, Francis
The study used cross sectional study design and data were collected from business owners operating within the divisions of Kampala Capital City Authority. The study found out that the level of ICT adoption in Kampala Capital City Authority was moderate. ICT adoption was mostly marked with establishment of separate IT department, use of bulk SMS, printers, scanners and photocopiers. Specialized ICT skills, regular updates and outsourcing of ICT functions appeared to be a key challenge businesses face in ICT adoption. The findings however, indicated that growth of SMEs is a conglomeration, of which adoption of ICT is a microcosm. The study recommends that Government of Uganda through Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation and Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development should consider promoting ICT business growth by sponsoring business software development, and distributing the same at subsidized costs. Training institutions should strengthen the ICT training programs by aligning them to the required job demands as dictated in the field of business. Government should also promote the application and adoption of ICT e-business by slashing the exorbitant taxes charged on the use of these products. Government should stimulate entrepreneurship development training to curb the shortfalls in staff competence, individual job creation and profitability skills.

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