Decentralisation is the process through which Central Government transfers authority and functions to sub-national units of the Government and it traces its origin in Uganda from the “ bush” period (1981 – 1986) when Resistance Committees were established by the NRM/A in the Luwero triangle. The Mamdani Commission Report of 1987 on the Local Government system in Uganda recommended devolution of powers. Subsequently, decentralisation was launched in 1992, constitutionalised by the 1995 Constitution, and operationalised by the Local Governments Act (LGA) in 1997. Among the services devolved were education and health, which this study used as case studies to illustrate whether decentralisation has enhanced development in Uganda during the period 1993 – 2006. The study used both primary and secondary data in analysing the linkage between decentralisation and development in the two selected districts in Uganda, namely Masindi and Sembabule. Primary data was collected through interviews, questionnaires and focus group discussions while secondary data was gathered through a literature survey of relevant textbooks, newspapers, reports, legislation and journals. The findings of the study established that if decentralisation is properly planned and implemented it can make a meaningful contribution to enhancing development. However, since decentralisation is a process and not a once-off project, it evolves from one stage to another and, as it does so, it also unfolds new challenges and contradictions that need to be effectively addressed. These challenges include aspects relating to the legal framework, as well as political, fiscal and administrative decentralisation. The study recommended mitigation measures to enhance the efficiency, effectiveness, accountability, transparency, and subsequently the quality of services delivered (development) under decentralised local governance in Uganda.

Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Management in the Field of Public Policy April 2017 / The study examined the legal framework establishing Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) as well as actor interactions within the agency policy process, with an ultimate aim of ascertaining the extent of public decision-making. The study was structured around three main components: an in-depth investigation of the literature on agencification; an application of the institutionalism theoretical framework; and an applied case study approach to examine the extent and context of policy decision making within KCCA. The major finding and indeed central argument is that despite the creation of a central policy-making role enshrined in the law establishing KCCA, the policy outcomes are not influenced by the elected leaders but rather by the central government and as such, there is limited public decision-making. This study has empirically shown that the creation of a matrix agency structure with multiple reporting and accountability centres was a symbolic move intended to dupe elected leaders with superficial status and authority, but in essence, without any real powers to demand policy changes, let alone, be able to sanction bureaucrats for their actions or inaction. The study further affirms that bureaucrats managing KCCA affairs, to a great extent, not only play a policy implementation function, but also disproportionately influence the shape of policy as a consequence of the discretionary powers bestowed upon them by the KCC Act (2010). The paper concludes by highlighting that agencification as one of the new public management (NPM) approaches has increased institutional and policy complexities that alienate citizens and citizen groups from the decision-making process. This reality challenges the existing literature on agencification and New Public Management which claims that once we structurally disaggregate and create semi-independent agencies, then we see bureaucrats who are more accountable to citizens. / MT 2017

Advances in information technology (IT) and the global shift from governance to e-governance in the public sector have motivated Uganda to put in place a robust information communication technology (ICT) infrastructure to enhance citizen access to e-information and information flow for e-governance in its local governments. However, this has not been realized due to a lack of functional information systems. This study investigated critical issues in information access and flow in Isingiro district and Mbarara municipality – two of Uganda’s upper local governments – with the aim of modeling an information system to support e-governance in these governments. Rooted in a pragmatist epistemology with an orientation towards mixed methods research (MMR), the study adopted a methodological triangulation technique. A convergent design was adopted that involved the concurrent collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. A random sampling scheme was used to select 360 participants from 8 study sites for a questionnaire survey, while a purposive sampling scheme was used to select 64 people to participate in 8 focus group discussions (FGDs) and 25 in key informant interviews. The findings of the study indicate that citizen access to e-governance information in the local governments is low. Information flow to the citizens is constrained by lack of affordable media outlets, so the local governments are forced to keep frequency of government to citizen (G2C) communication to a bare minimum. Worse still, government communication lacks formal programming: neither is it based on an information needs assessment of the citizens nor does it have a feedback mechanism. There are also myriad factors breeding inequality and social disadvantage within the communities that constrain citizen access to ICT tools and e-skills. The findings show also that the current e-governance models are ICT-intensive and highly reliant on the Internet, so they require higher e-skills levels and higher diffusion of ICT tools than those currently available in developing countries. The models are also largely civil society oriented. However, a SWOT analysis shows that the local governments have the capacity to implement a home-grown, hybrid e-governance system of information access and flow. The study recommends inter alia that the local governments establish their own broadcasting services, base their public communications on citizen e-information needs, and design multi-media communication strategies combining traditional and convergent media. More importantly, the study recommends the implementation of an interactive, hybrid and multimedia e-governance information system, whose model it articulates. / Information Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)