Objective:
“Enhance decentralized governance through promoting participatory decision making processes for effective service delivery and poverty reduction”
The Uganda Government adopted the Decentralization policy in 1993. This system of governance would increase opportunities for citizens to democratically determine how they should be governed; make choices regarding the type and quality of services they want and increase access to basic services thereby contribute to the reduction of poverty among vulnerable groups and households.
Notwithstanding this policy direction serious challenges still remain: The UN Human Development Report 2007, notes that the income gap continues to widen, persons living below the poverty line are estimated at 31%, and 42% of these poverty - ridden population live in rural areas and only 12% in urban areas.
The decentralization policy has not sufficiently been deepened; there exists low capacity and knowledge gaps in matters of participatory planning, budgeting, public accountability and understanding of human rights obligations; there is hardly any framework for sharing best practices and there are weak linkages between parliament, district councils and civil society. The majority poor including women, disabled, people living with HIV/AIDS, elderly and children are neglected and excluded from key decision making processes, unable to access their rights and basic services.
This action therefore seeks to strengthen capacities of district leaders in participatory planning, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation of public policies and projects for effective service delivery and poverty reduction by bridging capacity and knowledge gaps, strengthening linkages between parliament, district councilors and civil society, adopting a framework for sharing best practices and skills development for civil society groups to engage local authorities on state obligations.
This action builds on a pilot project executed for the districts of Mukono, Nakasongola, Tororo and Mayuge in 2008. Under this project a Situation Analysis was conducted in the four districts on the state of decentralized governance, a Practice Guide on “Good Practices in Local Government” was published, and a three day capacity building session conducted for district councilors, heads of department and district executive.
This action seeks to deepen and expand the program to an additional five districts representative of all regions of the country during the project cycle: Luwero (central region), Kamuli (eastern region), Rakai (southern region) and Mbarara (western region) and Amuru (northern region).
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