The Ugandan Journal of Management and Public Policy Studies

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The Ugandan Journal of Management and Public Policy Studies is a multidisciplinary Journal publishing a wide range of articles relating to public administration, management, leadership and public policy, from empirical studies and theoretical orientations to practical application. The Journal reviews books, essays, and research notes that are relevant to both scholars, practitioners involved at all levels of administration and management from various organisational forms including business firms, non-governmental organisations and public institutions and individual networks

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The relationship between employee reward and job satisfaction in Uganda Management Institute: an empirical study
(Uganda Management Institute, 2014) Picho Odubuker, Epiphany
The purpose of the study was to assess the relationship between employee reward and job satisfaction in Uganda Management Institute. A cross-sectional survey design was used with the target sample size being 118. Purposive, stratiﬁed and systematic sampling techniques were used to select respondents. Data analysis involved frequencies and percentages, Spearman rank correlation, coefﬁcient of determination, regression, and ANOVA. There was a moderate positive correlation between employee reward and job satisfaction. The coefﬁcient of determination expressed into percentage determined that employee reward accounted for 29.3 per cent of variation in job satisfaction.
Search for improved public service delivery in Tanzania: Is the policy-implementation dichotomy an elixir?
(Uganda Management Institute, 2014-03) Mateng’e, Frank J.
New Public Management (NPM) presupposes that if public service delivery were to be improved, policy-making should be separated from policy implementation. Although attempts to distinguish policy-making from implementation can be traced back to the classical writings of Woodrow Wilson and Frank J. Goodnow, among others, advocacy for the distinction appears to have rejuvenated as one of the deﬁning elements of contemporary public management reforms under the aegis of the NPM discourse. Using the agenciﬁcation and public-private partnership (PPP) models, embedded in the NPM, as well as the policy-making process based on the Tanzanian experience, we explore the feasibility of the policy-implementation dichotomy and its implications on service delivery in Tanzania. We argue that such a dichotomy is more pronounced in theory than in practice. While the policy-implementation dichotomy is desirable for the sake of enhancing efﬁciency, effectiveness and accountability at the practical level, it nevertheless remains more of a wishful thinking. Drawing on the Tanzanian policymaking experience, we ﬁnd policy-making to be a highly interactive process such that the demarcation between the precise role of bureaucrats and politicians is blurred.
Service delivery and performance management for development at local levels in Tanzania: A myth or reality?
(Uganda Management Institute, 2014-03) Nkyabonaki, Jason
Tanzania’s Local Government Reform Programme (LGRP) of 1998 aimed at improving the delivery of quality services to the public. The main strategy is decentralization, which is being implemented through decentralization by devolution. The effective decentralization of Government and the reform of Local Government are part of the foundations of change in the education and health sectors. The reform programme includes devolution of roles and authority by the Central Government by transferring political, ﬁnancial and development planning authority to Local Government Authorities (LGAs); freedom to make policy and operational decisions consistent with the laws of the land and Government policies, without interference by the Central Government institutions; and, LGAs being responsible for the efﬁcient and effective delivery of social and economic services to the people (URT, 1998). The link between development and devolved performance management is anchored on Stigler`s menu, that is, the closer the government is to the people the better it works (Liviga, 2009). This refers to the fundamentals of democratic practices such as citizens’ capacity to own the agenda of development and their ability to monitor the actions and inaction's of the individuals holding public ofﬁces on their behalf. The article thus, through review of literature's, examines the Tanzanian Government’s implementation of its decentralization by devolution (D-by-D) policy, and the impact of the output on performance management in service delivery and development landmarks. The historical factors of centralization tend to create the ﬂaws in the design and implementation of D-by-D in most Central Government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). It is concluded that performance measurement for development at local levels is a myth.
Inﬂuence of culture on decision making in organizations: Applying Hofstede’s value dimensions
(Uganda Management Institute, 2014-03) Karyeija Kagambirwe, Gerald
Quite often, the decision making process has been understood from the quantitative approach; highly inﬂuenced by, inter alia, game theory, decision tress and linear programmes. Moreover, there is a preoccupation with rational and economic explanations, political dimensions, procedures, and the institutional framework of public organizations. Yet organizations and the people that work in them have emotions, feelings and context. Thus there is the need for analysing the decision maker and decision making in the cross cultural context. This paper seeks to draw the relationship between culture and decision making. I explain the process through which policy subsystem arrives at a decision of recommending policy options. The article argues that there is a fruitful intellectual dimension linking culture to decision making an area which is not usually preferred in public administration, on the pretext that culture has limited explanatory power since culture could be broadly considered to mean everything.
Corporate governance and the enforcement of standards: An appraisal of standards organizations in Tanzania
(Uganda Management Institute, 2014-03) Babeiya, Edwin
This article debates the enforcement of quality standards within Tanzania’s corporate governance framework. The article probes into whether the continuing increase in the number of organizations responsible for monitoring and enforcing quality standards of consumable and non-consumable industrial products (also referred to in this article as standards organizations) has an impact on protecting the rights and welfare of stakeholders (consumers). Speciﬁcally, the article examines the extent to which these organizations have been effective in carrying out their prescribed functions. Using documentary review, the article concludes that Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA), Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) and Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA) have not been effective in monitoring and controlling the enforcement of standards, a situation that puts consumers’ welfare and public health at stake. Such ineffectiveness is attributed to a number of factors such as lack of adequate ﬁnancial and human resources, weaknesses in the synergies among standards organizations, poor networking with other stakeholders and weak legal framework that deprives these organizations of some of the powers to make ﬁnal decisions. Finally, the article emphasizes that any successful attempt to effectively enforce standards in Tanzania has to address these challenges.
Corporal punishment and students’ discipline in Uganda’s Schools: A literature review
(Uganda Management Institute, 2014-03) Karyeija K., Gerald; Basheka C., Benon; Ndayondi, Isaiah
This paper examines the adoption of corporal punishment in managing student discipline in pre-primary, primary and secondary schools in Uganda. Corporal punishment as the intentional inﬂiction of physical pain has long been used as a method of changing behaviour. It includes caning, hitting, shaking or slapping a child either with a hand or an object. This article is based on review of literature. It discusses cultural beliefs, teachers’ personal life experiences, family programming (internalization) and wider fundamental problems in the education system like poor training of teachers as arguments for the use of corporal punishment. The article concludes that despite its use, corporal punishment is a violation of children’s human rights due to its negative consequences like physical injuries, death, school dropout, fear and psychological torture. Particular emphasis should therefore be put on formulation of appropriate policy to emphasize the use of positive discipline as a strategy for the elimination of corporal punishment in schools in Uganda.
Challenges to policy implementation in Uganda: Reﬂections on politics and the State
(Uganda Management Institute, 2014-09) Khisa, Moses
Like many African countries, Uganda faces the problem of poor or failed implementation of state polices and government programmes. There is a big gulf between policy making and actual implementation. This article locates the source of the problem in the nature of Uganda’s contemporary politics under the regime of President Yoweri Museveni. The article argues that at the root of poor policy implementation is the failure to build robust institutional capacity through a merit-based public system. To understand Uganda’s weak implementation capacity, we need to look at the politics of elite-inclusion and “broad-base” that started with the “Movement” no-party system. By prioritizing the politics of “broad-base,” Museveni’s regime opened up the Ugandan society to wider elite political participation and mass representation, and achieved modest progress in institutionalizing decision/policy-making power. However, simultaneously, the politics of “broad-base” also engendered patronage politics and endemic corruption, which have greatly compromised building the institutional capacity to implement policies and programs. Since 1986, the idea of “broad-base” as the founding approach of power sharing became an entrenched strategy of keeping state power even after reverting to multiparty politics in 2005. The net outcome has been the continuation of deleterious patronage-politics at odds with the imperatives of a development-oriented state.
Determinants of tax effort in developing countries: Empirical evidence from Uganda
(Uganda Management Institute, 2014-09) Agaba, Samuel Bakehena; Kaberuka, William
Tax effort is the exertion that a country puts into collecting revenue that is necessary to meets its expenditure demands for sustainable development. One of the reforms that the World Bank recommends to DCs aimed at augmenting their revenue is a tax reform. Towards this endeavour, Uganda has carried out a number of tax reforms; but its tax share to GDP has not only remained low and stagnant at about 12 per cent but has also not matched her expenditure demands. This has led to high ﬁscal deﬁcits which have persisted over the years. This study was carried out using time series data obtained from the World Bank’s Development Indicators 2010 CD-RM. A multivariate regression model was used in the analysis to identify the determinants of tax effort in Uganda. The ﬁndings of the study revealed that lagged tax effort measured by tax-GDP ratio, share of agriculture to GDP, GDP per capita, openness to trade and external debt stock signiﬁcantly affect tax effort. Increase in the other mentioned variables augurs well with tax effort in Uganda. However, services and manufacturing sectors’ share to GDP were found not to signiﬁcantly affect tax effort. The study recommends that if Uganda is to improve her tax effort to the levels of other Sub-Saharan African countries, she needs to invest in areas that would signiﬁcantly increase GDP per capita. Investment incentives should be provided to the agricultural sector with the view to commoditizing the sector and hence bringing it under the tax net. Uganda should also review the policies regarding the currently offered tax breaks and exemptions with a view to retaining only those that have a productive effect on the development of manufacturing and service sectors.
Identifying the internal environment components critical to realizing the planned performance of Micro-Finance Institutions in Uganda
(Uganda Management Institute, 2014-09) Kwagala, Milly
The nature of a ﬁrm’s internal environment is known to be a major determinant of its performance. It is, however, not always clear which components of this environment are critical and therefore need more managerial attention if a ﬁrm is to realize its planned performance. Consequently, this article focuses on establishing these components for micro-ﬁnance institutions in Uganda. The article has been compiled from a study conducted empirically about the massive closure of these institutions which caused government and client concern, as explained by their management. Concisely, the ﬁndings indicate that the components that critically affect the realization of the planned performance of a micro-ﬁnance institution in Uganda include the ethical orientation of institutions’ managers, the nature of the relationship that the managers keep with their subordinates, and the level of authority given to employees to execute assigned responsibilities. All these components relate to the quality of the institutions’ internal supervision, implying that if the institutions are to realize their performance as planned, their management has to ensure that their internal supervision is of the best possible quality.
Political decentralization and service delivery: Evidence from Agago District, Uganda
(Uganda Management Institute, 2014-09) Obicci, Peter Adoko
Does political decentralization improve the provision of service delivery? Many developing countries have taken to political decentralization as an instrument of development that plays a central role in increasing citizens’ involvement in policy development and decision making as well as holding their leaders to account. However, the basis upon which it can be relied upon to improve service delivery remains a big puzzle to many practitioners. This study uses the factors of decision making, participation and accountability to uncover how political decentralization can promote service delivery. Based on intensive interviews with local stakeholders in ten sampled local governments in Agago District in Northern Uganda as well as survey, the study uncovered a complex interplay of conditions that impact service delivery in a political decentralization dispensation. The results reveal that political decentralization can be used as an instrument to promote the provision of service delivery. Furthermore, decentralization is shown to have had signiﬁcant effect on service delivery in the ten local governments examined in the study. However, the study needs generalization on a larger scale.
Democratic deﬁcits and public conﬁdence in public institutions in Uganda: Implications of accountability on public conﬁdence in the Uganda Local Government Institution
(Uganda Management Institute, 2014-09) Kiwanuka, Michael
There is a general belief by scholars and practitioners alike that the notable declining public conﬁdence in public institutions in developing countries like Uganda is a consequence of democratic deﬁcits in institutional governance. This belief is more so, because democratic deﬁcits like deﬁciencies in accountability systems, stiﬂes capacities of democratic systems to evolve and reform into effective and legitimate agents of citizens. Accountability is a fundamental virtue of good governance and an important cornerstone in democratic systems. The paper analyzes the impact of accountability on public conﬁdence within the context of Uganda’s local government Institution. The analysis of accountability practices and experiences suggests that public conﬁdence in the institution of local governments in Uganda is on the down ward trend. This is partly due to the inherent democratic deﬁcits with respect to accountability deﬁciencies in local government institutions. The paper concludes that: the widening gap between citizen preferences and services delivered; the big social service backlogs; the mockery of citizen participation; and high levels of corruption are already having a big toll on citizens’ trust and eroding public conﬁdence in the local government institution. The paper recommends that developing countries like Uganda should demonstrate commitment to social accountability by strengthening the citizen voice and support meaningful engagement of non-state actors alongside formal government systems.
State and society relations in Uganda’s political-economic transitions: Structures, processes and outcomes of governance since 1986
(Uganda Management Institute, 2014-09) Opolot, Samson James
The article discusses the nature and dynamics of structures and processes of state and society relations in Uganda and the political and economic outcomes in the country. Empirical data from the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)/Expert Opinion Survey (EOS) and Focus Group Discussions in Uganda that was compiled in 2011 are among those analyzed. In addition, literature on these state structures (executive, legislature and judiciary) and on elections as spaces, processes and institutions for deﬁning, arbitrating and determining outcomes of structure and processes of governance, with emphases on the 18 February 2011 and prior to the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections are also used to triangulate the ﬁndings and enrich the discussion. In addition, the results from a recent study on ‘Uganda @ 50’ conducted by the Centre for Basic Research (CBR) are used to fore ground the opinions of Ugandans on the contemporary social structures and political trends in the country. The conclusion is that in spite of the considerable politico-administrative reforms in Uganda especially from 1986 to 2005, there are strong indications of regressions in the quality of governance since then that warrant concern for the future democratization in Uganda. Some notable reforms during the pre-2006 period included signiﬁcant trends towards decentralization, the return to multiparty political systems, and the development of a progressive constitution with pronounced frameworks for pursuing democratic governance through accountable and transparent institutions of governance. Most of these constitutional provisions are now being reversed. Uganda today demonstrates the trappings of a post-colonial non-democratic state in which state structures serve partisan interests. The army takes centre stage in politics and in turn enables the authoritarian character of the state where elections have become mere pretences and a mockery of substantive democratization. The independence of the three arms of the state is simply pretentious and highly circumscribed by the NRM to be used at will in legitimizing its hold onto power. Unless these trends change, the country could revert to its tyrannical past.
The effect of business regulatory standards on export trading by small enterprises: A comparative analysis of Africa and Uganda
(Uganda Management Institute, 2014-09) Mutunzi, Ahmed Kitunzi
This article investigates the relationship between regulatory standards affecting export trade and the proportion of exporting SMEs with a focus on Africa and especially Uganda. The study is principally a global comparative analysis of business regulations and exporting SMEs with a focus on Uganda and the rest of Africa and employs a triangulation of quantitative research methodologies. The study results reveal that the number of export documents, time (days) and cost of export trading in Uganda and other African countries are relatively deterrent to export trading by a substantial fraction of SMEs. Hence, it is recommendable that Uganda and the rest of Africa implement persistent, diligent, deliberate, and competitive deregulation of export trading by reducing the number of export documents, time (days) and cost of exporting so as to enable more of their SMEs to engage in export trading. Such reforms will lead to sustainable growth of SMEs and economies.
Challenges of Information and Communication Technology usage and accessibility in managing public sector records in Local Governments in Uganda
(Uganda Management Institute, 2015-03) Akra, Henry Ayias
For most developing countries, and more speciﬁcally African countries, the experience in the application of information and communication technology (ICT) to harness knowledge-based economies is still challenging. Hence, this article examines the challenges of ICT accessibility and usage in managing records in local governments (LGs) in Uganda that has abetted inefﬁcient records management practices. The research design was mainly quantitative, and used a structured questionnaire together with interview and observation guides. The study was conducted in three districts and the line Ministry of Local Government. Of the 108 respondents sampled using simple random as well as probability sampling methods, 84 people participated, representing 77.7% response rate. The results indicate a negative but statistical signiﬁcant relationship (-.394**) between the challenges of usage of ICTs and Records Management Practices (RMPs); and a negative but statistical not signiﬁcant relationship (-.108) between the challenges of ICT accessibility and RMPs. This implies that more focus is required on continuous ICT training for LG records staff in appropriate skills and programmes availed to ensure optimal usage of the existing ICT infrastructure to enhance proper RMPs. Even if the relationship between the challenges of accessibility of ICT infrastructure and RMPs was not statistically signiﬁcant, the infrastructure should be availed and continuously upgraded to avoid obsolescence and inaccessibility to enhance proper RMPs in the LGs.
Compliance with record-keeping regulatory standards in public procurement in Uganda: Performance challenges and strategic measures for improvement
(Uganda Management Institute, 2015-03) Alinda, Fred; Mugisa, Geoffrey
Record-keeping is widely underscored for its crucial role in enhancing transparency, accountability, fostering procurement audits, identifying performance gaps and ultimately improving the delivery of public services. In Uganda, record-keeping in public procurements is highly emphasized and institutionalized. The Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets (PPDA) Act of 2003 and the Local Government Procurement and Disposal of Assets Regulations of 2006 deﬁne a regulatory framework for public procurements with the PPDA Authority providing regulatory oversight. The target is to realize 100 percent compliance with record-keeping standards. The accounting ofﬁcers and the PPDA Authority are charged with the responsibility of ensuring that this target is met. Capacity building has been instituted and continues to be implemented as a key strategic measure to enhance compliance. The Authority conducts periodic compliance assessments to ascertain compliance with the desired regulatory standards inclusive of record-keeping. Availability and completeness of records indicates transparency in public procurements and also determines performance on other indicators that detect adherence to procurement principles of accountability and value for money. Drawing from literature, this article presents an overview on the trend of compliance with recordkeeping standards, vis-a-vis the measures implemented to enhance compliance. From this, the authors establish a persistent and deteriorating state of non-compliance with record-keeping regulatory standards in public procurements over the 2009-2012 period. Non-compliance persists despite the remarkable efforts to build capacity for compliance in the Procurement and Disposing Entities (PDEs). It raises concern over the relevance and quality of training provided to stakeholders. Drawing insights from the Human Capital, Principal Agent and Institutional theories, the authors provide a theoretical perspective in an attempt to account for this persistent non-compliance. Based on the theoretical underpinnings, the study opens insight into critical factors which can be further investigated in an attempt to create a precise account of non-compliance with procurement regulations, particularly with regard to record-keeping standards that are worst affected.
The good, bad and ugly of administrative reforms in Africa: Discourse, policy controversies and policy orientations
(Uganda Management Institute, 2015-03) Forje, John W.
The article revisits through a policy analysis the on-going debate on the major structuring of administrative reforms so badly needed to move Africa from a backward to a service delivery society. Critically and analytically it delves into policy orientations over the past decades with the attempt to relate them to the advocacy and strategies developed by different networks and policy communities to craft an administrative structure that adequately respond to the needs of the continent. The analysis reveals in particular the crucial contribution of the “Power of Politicisation” of the administrative structure; and shows how it contributes towards underdevelopment and not the sustainable transformation of the continent to ensure quality livelihood of the citizens. Forje argues that administrative reforms in Africa require comprehensive ‘depoliticisation’ and ‘constructive engagement’ with civil society and the private sector. In order to have a system with proper output functions that signiﬁcantly impacts on the wellbeing of the people as well as moves the continent forward. Politicisation of the administration leads to corruption, poor output services bleeding the continent to death; it prevents other groups or opinions concerned with more intractable social, economic and political issues from engaging successfully in the policy process for meaningfully tailored structural reforms. Good governance and the rule of law are needed for an effective well-functioning administrative set-up.
Human resource hiring process and cooperation in greater Bushenyi Districts, Western Uganda
(Uganda Management Institute, 2015-03) Byabashaija, Deusdedit; Karyeija, Gerald K.; Murangira, Martin
This study assesses the relationship between human resource hiring process (HRHP) and cooperation of Greater Bushenyi Districts Local Government (GBDLG). The Greater Bushenyi District Local Governments includes the Districts of Bushenyi, Buhweju, Mitooma, Rubirizi and Sheema. Using descriptive research design, a researcher generated questionnaire and an interview guide data was collected for the study. Primary data obtained from the ﬁve districts of Greater Bushenyi Local Governments was analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson Linear correlation coefﬁcient (PLCC) and Regression analysis. The contribution of HRRP to cooperation was satisfactory as evidenced in terms of: bench marking, participatory democracy and empowerment. HRRP was found to be signiﬁcantly correlated with cooperation (bench making, democracy and empowerment). It was concluded that HRRP positively and signiﬁcantly inﬂuences cooperation in GBDLG. The researcher recommends that government should promote equal employment opportunities in terms of HRRP, ensure ﬂexibility in rules and regulations; train employees, foster cooperation, reduce domination by central government in district affairs; and increase funding for sub-national governments.
Building ethics and integrity in the public sector in Uganda: A search for a superlative approach
(2015-03) Kyohairwe, Stella B.
Building ethics and integrity in the public sector is a great concern for governments aiming at realizing good governance principles and for ensuring appropriate public administration and management. It is noted, however, that while efforts for guaranteeing ethics and integrity in Uganda’s public sector have always been instituted, the major approach has been centered on using legal approaches within the public sector confines. The tendency to neglect the integration of informal organizational processes and institutions outside the public sector is seen as a substantial explanation of the persisting ethical and integrity issues in managing public institutions. In this article, a theory-based analysis is applied to explore the practices of the public service. Realizing the persistent challenges of public sector ethics and integrity in Uganda, the article raises possible explanations grounded in Joseph A. Patrick and John F. Quinn’s (1997) ethical model. While a wide range of approaches have been employed to eradicate unethical behavior of public servants, it is realized that legal redresses are unable to offer all-round solutions. As such, the emphasis of using moral values and standards is seen as the best alternative solution for public sector management.
Institutional and legal factors affecting environmental management in a decentralized system of governance: A case of wetlands in Uganda
(Uganda Management Institute, 2015-03) Turyasingura, Wilberforce; Mbasa, Bernard Arinaitwe
Decentralization of natural resource management is considered by many development agents, researchers and environmentalists, as a way to improve efﬁciency and equity in natural resource management. Under the decentralization system of governance that Uganda adopted in the 1990s, the management of natural resources was also decentralized. In this regard, Uganda has undertaken several initiatives in a bid to delegate natural resource management responsibilities to local governments and build local capacity for this purpose. The initiatives have ranged from development of an institutional framework for environmental management such as National Environment Management Act (1995), the Land Act 1998, and the Local Government Act 1997 among others, to establishment of funding mechanisms for wetland management both at the Central and Local Government levels. In spite of these efforts by the Government, the level of environmental management in a decentralized framework is still unsatisfactory. There is evidence of massive wetland encroachment, and the anticipated beneﬁts from wetlands management have not been realized. This study was conducted to examine the extent to which funding mechanisms, human resource capacity and legal framework inﬂuence environmental management in a decentralized system of governance. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected; analysis was done using correlational analysis and content analysis for quantitative and qualitative data respectively. Findings revealed that all the three variables under investigation had a moderate signiﬁcant relationship with effective environmental management. The ﬁndings were corroborated by responses from various stakeholders interviewed in the course of the study. The study recommends that both the central and local governments should develop a sustainable funding mechanism and an efﬁcient planning and budgeting system; develop strategies for attraction and retention of key professional staff in environmental management and streamline existing legal framework for natural resource management in enhancing sustainable environmental management in the country.
Can social media enhance service delivery? Lessons and best practices
(Uganda Management Institute, 2016-11) Ouma, Flavia Kyeyago
Governments are increasingly leveraging social media to deliver better services to the public. These networks are useful for government organizations since they have many interactive and innovative features which aid communication and interaction among citizens and enable them to interact and collaborate with government in the delivery of public services. This exploratory study examines the use of social media and its potential in enhancing public service delivery. The paper discusses the drivers to the use of social media in government, the beneﬁts and lessons learned, and the best practices of managing social media for service delivery. It focuses on the use of social media in two case studies: the UK Metropolitan Police and Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS). We ﬁnd that social media has enabled citizen participation, increased transparency, collaboration and improved accountability in service delivery

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