Technical – politics dichotomy in Mid-Western Uganda: Interrelationship between municipal councillors and administrators in service delivery

Purpose: This study aimed to analyse the interrelationships between municipal councillors and administrators in municipal councils in mid-western Uganda. Research Methodology: The study took a case study design, which was adopted by seeing that the problem under investigation involved a rigorous inquiry of the multiple elements that contribute to the uniqueness of public service delivery. A sample of 48 was realised from a population of 55; these were selected using the proportionate stratified sampling technique followed by a simple random sample for each of the strata. A questionnaire was used to seek opinions from both municipal councillors and administrators regarding interrelationships and public service delivery. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics to generate Means (µ) and Standard Deviations. Results: Results suggest that the degree of interrelationship between the two stakeholders is poor for municipal councillors, yet they ought to represent the voting population; the level of municipal service delivery is average a non-linear association concerning the interrelationships between municipal councillors and administrators on public service delivery in municipal councils in mid-western Uganda   Limitations: This study was only concentrated in mid-western Uganda, yet the country has 41 municipalities suggesting that the results are not representative of the conditions in the whole country. Contribution: The results of this study can be useful to both locally elected councillors and the appointed administrators serving at Municipalities in Uganda by aiding them to improve work-relationship for better service delivery

Efficacy of farmer field schools in achieving participatory technology development among smallholder farmers in the Hoima district, Uganda

Purpose: This study investigated the efficacy of FFS for participatory technology development among smallholder farmers in Hoima district, Uganda. It is anticipated that by making FFS concrete, household food security will be enhanced. Research methodology: The study utilised primary data, which was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. While 120 respondents were sampled, 103 responded, generating a response rate of 85.83%. This was an excellent response seeing that it merited above 75%. The researcher administered all questionnaires in one month. Results: From the findings indicate that PTD is more desirable in the Hoima district. In addition, the construct of the ability to solve problems from time to time indicates that problem-solving is very desirable for PTD in the Hoima district.  The results suggest a positive correlation between FFS and PTD among the study population, indicating that a unit-change in the FFS constructs will lead to a proportionate change in the constructs of PTD in the same direction. This implies that improving FFS quality by a single unit will translate into progressive improvement in PTD in the Hoima district. This study also suggests that FFS alone has a strong positive influence on PTD in the Hoima district. Limitations: This study merely covered farmer-field schools, yet several interventions aim to raise the quality of agriculture in Uganda, such as National Agricultural Advisory Services and Emyoga. Contribution: This study contributes to the deeper understanding of what ought to be done to improve the quality of farming in Uganda

The Efficacy of E-Governance Policy and Practice in Uganda: A Perspective Review

The Arab Spring foregrounded a new reality that a digitally disruptive and highly networked world presents a wicked governance problem for governments seeking to enact effective governance systems in an era where citizen’s unconventional digital mobilization can unseat repressive and unresponsive governments. This reinforces the need for spontaneous, contextually grounded and participatory e-governance mechanisms given their normative and transformative capacity to shift beliefs and norms of policy makers, enhance quality of policy outputs, elicit public confidence and heighten government’s legitimacy. In this paper, the authors assess the efficacy of Uganda’s e-governance policy, praxis and challenges as part of the broader e-governance discourse in the global south. The outcomes reveal that Uganda has instituted excellent legal, institutional and infrastructural e-governance mechanisms, but the conspicuous absence of political will, by an increasingly vulnerable political elite class, hampers sustainability of effective e-governance. Measures like rash and selective application of laws, introduction of new repressive laws, coercive means including violence and arbitrary arrest for dissenting opinions, increased state sponsored online and offline surveillance, internet shutdowns, network disruptions, online harassment, remote intrusion of civil society websites, and censorship, only further shrink civic space ultimately knocking both trust and legitimacy. Therefore, we propose that government prioritizes expansion of civic space to allow favourably reflexive and participatory citizen engagement as a pathway to enhanced quality of policy outputs and governance as a means to achieve its Vision 2040 by way of digital infrastructure, connectivity, legal and institutional frameworks and media freedom are dependent on political will. Keywords: e-governance, infrastructure, connectivity, institutional frameworks, political will DOI: 10.7176/PPAR/12-7-01 Publication date:October 31st 202

What Moser Could Have Asked: Counting Hamilton Cycles in Tournaments

Moser asked for a construction of explicit tournaments on $n$ vertices having at least $(\frac{n}{3e})^n$ Hamilton cycles. We show that he could have asked for rather more

Public service delivery in Uganda: a reconsideration of grand corruption

Purpose: This review intends to ascertain and analyse available literature for the degree of corruption in the Ugandan public organisations and how they can be enhanced to get rid of corruption. Research methodology: Focussed Mapping Review and Synthesis approach were adopted to unpack corruption in public organisations. We examine obtainable literature using thematic approach. Results: The review exposes potential influence of both predisposing factors and precipitating factors in terms of socio-economic and political dimensions. Nonetheless, Public organisations in Uganda can be enhanced to get rid of corruption by enforcing a robust blend of all the three clusters of instruments of accountability; internal, legal and external. Limitations: Since the study was largely based on Uganda, its outcomes may not be generalized. Contribution: This explanatory review underscores the apathy of government machinery to rid public organisations of corruption. There is a need for politicians and policy experts to conduct additional analysis of corruption within the public sector. Keywords: Corruption, Predisposing factors, Precipitating factors, Accountabilit

Consequence of Covid-19 lockdown on household food security: Voices from Hoima City, Uganda

Purpose: To investigate the consequence covid-19 lockdown on food security among a cohort of peri-urban households in Hoima city. Research methodology: A descriptive survey was employed targeting 186 respondents. Data were collected using a researcher-designed self-administered questionnaire and analysed using quantitative statistics. Specifically, chi-square was employed to establish whether the hypothesis held sway; also, regression analysis was employed with a view of forecasting the degree of change in household food security due to covid-19 lockdown. Results: The period of lockdown announced and implemented by the government had a positive consequence on food security. Nonetheless, the economic hardships overturned the successes otherwise achieved as a number of households sold off much of the food so as acquire other household items. Recommendations: While the government is credited for instituting a lockdown as a means to reduce the spread of covid-19 virus, it is recommended that city authorities are encouraged to boost urban farming by distributing agri-inputs to households in the peri-urban seeing that their daily incomes are already constrained. Contribution: The findings of this study may be useful to city authorities in Uganda in evolving a guide on integration of food security as a cross-cutting issue in the overall strategic disaster management plan. This article makes an input to the budding field of understanding by underlining inroads that can generate more sustainable urban community livelihoods through food security

Policy implementation in mid-western Uganda: Examining personnel resources, financial capacity, administrative capability and political support

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the level of personnel resources, financial capacity, administrative capability and political support in Hoima district local government in mid-western Uganda. Research Methodology: A descriptive survey of 194 respondents comprising of elected local councillors and technical officials were randomly selected from Hoima district. Four issues were investigated, namely personnel resources, financial capacity, administrative capability and political support. SPSS (version 15) was used for data analysis. A total of 164 respondents took part in the study. Results: Policy implementation at local governments in Uganda was moderate; this was manifested in terms of personnel resources, financial capacity, administrative capability and political support, which, if each of them can be improved, the degree of policy implementation will improve. Financial and non-financial factors both need to be improved for achieving a preferred level of policy implementation at local governments. Limitations:  This study zeroed on policy implementation alone and yet a number of issues affecting policy implementation may not necessarily originate from it but from policy formulation, which was never covered. Contribution: This study highlights the four aspects in policy implementation, viz. personnel resources, financial resources, administrative capability, and political support; these are very significant to policy managers at grass root government. Hoima district is encouraged to consider all four aspects for effective policy implementation

The sorption and permeation of moisture in moisture barrier polymer film coatings

Several moisture barrier coatings for use as barriers to moisture uptake into solid dosage forms of moisture-sensitive drug substances are commercially available. The aim of this study was to investigate the moisture sorption and permeation characteristics of four moisture barrier coatings, formulated from the following polymers, i.e., ethyl methacrylate copolymer (Eudragit L30 D-55®), aminobutyl methacrylate copolymer (Eudragit EPO®), poly(vinyl alcohol) (Opadry AMB ®) and hypromellose system (Sepifilm LP 10®). The gravimetric vapour sorption technique, utilising a dynamic vapour sorption apparatus (Surface Measurement Systems, UK), was the main method used to determine the extent of moisture sorption and desorption. Cast free films of the moisture barrier coatings, and uncoated and coated model tablet cores were investigated. The model tablet cores were designed to exhibit hygroscopic, non- hygroscopic or waxy characteristics. Additional tests with near-infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and dissolution testing were done to ascertain the hydration characteristics and/or the water- coating interactions. Sepifilm LP and Opadry AMB films sorbed comparatively more moisture than the Eudragit L30 D-55 and Eudragit EPO films. Differences in hygroscopicity of the films were attributed to differences in the hydrophilicity of the constitutive polymers. Analysis of sorption-desorption kinetics showed that all the film samples exhibited non-Fickian kinetics. The calculated permeability coefficients for moisture in the films were of the order of 10-6 to 10-7 cm3 [(STP) cm/cm2 s cmHg)]. Thus, the moisture barrier coatings were comparatively inferior to conventional barriers like high density polyethylene or polyvinylidene (cling film), with reported permeabilitities of the order of 10-10 to 10-11 [(STP) cm/cm2 s cmHg)]. Application of the moisture barrier coatings onto the model tablet cores resulted in a net reduction in the extent of sorption over the uncoated cores only for the hygroscopic cores. Thus, there was no benefit of applying a moisture barrier coating to the waxy or non-hygroscopic tablet formulations. Results obtained from the stability profile of aspirin used as a model moisture-sensitive compound in the tablet cores confirmed this outcome. However, when the barrier coatings were applied onto the aspirin model cores, the coated samples exhibited higher degradation than the uncoated samples. No correlation between the degradation of aspirin in the cores and the permeability of the films was established. As the moisture barrier coatings were not able to completely seal the tablet cores from moisture uptake, it was speculated the sorbed moisture decreased the adhesion of the coatings to the underlying cores. This facilitated the collection of water at the coating- core boundary, from where aspirin hydrolysis could have taken place. Therefore, if moisture barrier coatings are to protect moisture sensitive compounds in tablet cores, the ability to prevent hydrolysis at the coating-core boundary is deemed essential

Towards enhancing local citizen participation in Uganda

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose an alternative model of enhancing citizen participation in Uganda.  Research Methodology: The central approach for this paper was review of obtainable theoretical and conceptual writings on citizen participation in Uganda and other parts of the world. Literature review is the gathering of information from obtainable resources such as educational journals and statistical periodicals. The approach has been demonstrated to be very effective and can be applied at any stage of a research process. Results: Citizen Participation encourages marginalised groups to be organised in structures under their control; brings knowledge of their social environment and process to the local government agenda in a way that no other structure can as well as fostering self-reliance. Limitations: This study took a desk research and the actual opinions from selected citizens may be parallel to the conclusions obtained in this review. Contribution: The study can be used for local government managers implementing community-driven projects. Keywords: Citizen participation, policy implementation, stakeholders, bureaucrats, local leader

A Cross-sectional study to identify the factors contributing to low uptake of 1st ANC services among pregnant mothers in first trimester at Kamira Health Centre III, Luweero District.

Background: A study was carried out to identify the factors contributing to low uptake of 1st ANC services among pregnant mothers during the first trimester at Kamira Health Centre III, Luweero District. The study design was descriptive and cross-sectional and it employed both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. A sample of 60 respondents was selected using a purposive sampling procedure and an interview guide was used to collect data.  Results: Socio-economic factors contributing to low uptake of 1st ANC services among pregnant mothers during the first trimester as 36 (60%) reported 4 – 6 months as the age at which they were supposed to start attending ANC services, 40 (66.7%) started attending ANC between 4 – 6 months and the major reasons were lack of awareness/knowledge 24 (40%) and lack of support 16 (26.7%). 40 (66.7%) reported that the income was not enough to enable access to ANC services as 24 (40%) resided 4 – 5 km away and 24 (40%) spent between 5,000 – 10,000shs on transport to the health facility. Health facility factors contributed to low uptake of 1st ANC services among pregnant mothers during the first trimester as 40 (67%) reported that Kamira Health Centre III was understaffed, and 20 (50%) had the inadequate infrastructure to handle large numbers of mothers. 40 (67%) reported that health workers had negative attitudes during the provision of ANC services to mothers 24 (40%) mentioned that they were rude and unwelcoming and 16 (26.7%) mentioned that health workers had poor customer care skills.  Conclusion: Respondents faced various socio-economic, cultural, and health facility factors which contributed to low uptake of 1st ANC services among pregnant mothers during the first trimester.  Recommendations: Including improving efficiency and reducing waiting time, improving customer care, more support, and health education about ANC among others.