Ugandan Journal of Management and Public Policy Studies

Development of Spatial Planning Scenarios for Eco-Tourism Planning of Dikgatlhong Dam, Botswana

2023-12-28T07:14:52+00:00

Spatial and environmental planning of the fragile water ecosystems in semi-arid climatic conditions of Botswana and the Dikgatlhong Dam Land Lease Area (DDLA), as one of the country’s largest water reservoirs, present a complex task that requires the application of different methods and techniques. These techniques emanate from diverse fields and sub-fields of geography, hydrology, climatology, environmental science, engineering, spatial planning, cartography, tourism studies, etc. For that reason, an interdisciplinary project team has been assembled to embark on the application of GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis (GIS MCDA) to develop future planning scenarios applicable to different eco-tourism planning zones depicted in the Dikgatlhong Dam Tourism Master Plan (DDTMP). The results achieved through this systematic approach have helped clear the demarcation of individual land use planning zones of DDLA that need to be preserved, developed, maintained, and/or repaired in case of
potential ecosystem damage. It is highly expected that a similar approach can be applied in other parts of the African continent where expectations to support the quality of abiotic and biotic life are high for the benefit of today’s and future generations.

Does Strategic Orientation Mediate the Relationship Between Board Characteristics and Performance of Insurance Companies in Uganda?

2024-04-19T06:14:35+00:00

This study aimed to investigate the mediating effect of strategic orientation on the relationship between board characteristics and the performance of insurance companies in Uganda. Philosophically, the study applied positivism and utilized a cross-sectional descriptive survey. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire, administered to a census of 131 licensed companies by the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) in Uganda. The companies were spread across the country, and 108 responses were received, resulting in a 74.7% response rate. The hypotheses were tested using simple linear regression analysis and path analysis to examine the mediating effect. The study’s findings suggest that strategic orientation has a statistically significant mediating effect on the relationship between board characteristics and performance. The results provide a contextual overview of the insurance industry in Uganda, highlighting the critical role of strategic orientations in enhancing the stellar performance of insurance companies. The study concludes that strategic orientation mediates the association between board characteristics and the organizational performance of insurance companies in Uganda. The mediating influence of strategic orientation on the relationship between board characteristics and organizational performance accounted for 57.0 percent of the variation in performance. This implies that companies leaning towards strategic orientations of analysis, futurity, proactiveness, defensiveness, and riskiness tend to achieve greater performance. However, it is noted that insurance companies in Uganda predominantly adopt a conservative approach (analysis and defensiveness) to strategy rather than an entrepreneurial approach (futurity, riskiness, pro-activeness, and aggressiveness). Despite this, the study suggests that this conservative approach can significantly positively affect organizational performance, considering that most insurance companies in Uganda align with these orientations. In light of the findings, the study recommends that insurance companies in Uganda should consider embracing the entrepreneurial approach to strategic orientation, with a particular emphasis on aggressiveness, to make a more substantial contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Knowledge Sharing and Organizational Performance in Uganda

2023-12-28T07:15:14+00:00

The role of knowledge as the essential source of competitive advantage in organizations has become critical. This is because of the emerging competitive environment in today’s global marketplace, where organizations have realized the need to remain competitive through knowledge sharing. Many companies know that to operate effectively in today’s economy, it is necessary to become a knowledge-based organization. However, only a few truly understand what that means or how to implement the changes required to bring it about. This research aimed to assess the impact of knowledge sharing on the organizational performance of NTCs in Uganda. Data was collected using questionnaires in July 2022 from the teaching staff of the five National Teachers’ Colleges that train teachers in Uganda, targeting a sample of 141 respondents. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, which included frequencies and percentages, and inferential statistics, which included Spearman correlation, coefficient of determination, and regression analyses in determining the impact of knowledge sharing as an independent variable on the performance of the NTCs as the dependent variable. It was, therefore, concluded from the findings that knowledge sharing positively impacted the organizational performance of NTCs in Uganda. This study will guide the NTCs to integrate their knowledge assets, including databases, people, experience, and expertise of these people, systems, policies, and procedures during knowledge management for their better performance. Moreover, the results of this research will be used to improve the sharing of knowledge at the NTCs in Uganda, which may lead to improvement in the way NTCs make themselves relevant to the society in which they operate.

Self-efficacy and Financial Inclusion of Working Women in Uganda

2023-12-28T09:37:34+00:00

Financial inclusion has emerged as the primary driver of inclusive economic growth even in developing countries and women are critical to the financial inclusion strategy due to their numerical significance and typically living longer than men. Though literature supports the notion that self-efficacy in financial matters promotes financial inclusion, little is known as to whether such a link exists among women in a developing country. Guided by the social cognitive theory, this article examines the level of self-efficacy and financial inclusion, and the relationship between self-efficacy and financial inclusion among working women in Uganda. The inquiry used a correlational cross-sectional design, a sample size of 384 from a population of 327,930 working women in Kampala district, Uganda, and a structured questionnaire to obtain primary data. Exploratory factor analysis, correlation analysis and regression analysis were used to answer the study objectives. The results found that the level of financial self-efficacy and financial inclusion among working women in Uganda is 51% and 56% respectively. Additionally, the results confirm that self-efficacy positively and significantly (B=0.187, β= 0.232, p<0.05) affected financial inclusion. Therefore, the null hypothesis, ‘Self-efficacy has no significant effect on financial inclusion among working women in Uganda’ was rejected. We thus recommend that more empirical work needs to be done to clearly understand those unique factors that enhance financial selfefficacy of women in a developing country so that Government of Uganda and the other stakeholders in financial inclusion can design evidence-based initiatives that strengthen the financial self-efficacy of women so as to enhance their financial inclusion..

Modelling E-Library Services for Public Policy and Sustainable Development in Kenya

2023-12-28T07:15:33+00:00

Practitioners and researchers have alluded to the fact that information is one of the production factors in today’s economy and development. Public policy and sustainable development achievement relies on access to accurate, credible and reliable information. Libraries play a pivotal role in the provision of this information since they are credible sources of information. This article models e-library services for public policy and sustainable development in Kenya. It was guided by the following objectives: establish the role of information in public policy and sustainable development in Kenya; examine the factors influencing public policy and sustainable development in Kenya; establish the extent to which library services influence public policy and sustainable development in Kenya; and, propose a model for e-library services for public policy and sustainable development in Kenya. A systematic literature review using the PRISMA model was adopted. Data was collected from Google Scholar and analysed using Microsoft Excel and presented using tables. The search yielded 880 articles of which 41 were relevant for the study. The findings revealed that libraries were offering various e-library services. Importantly, libraries were crucial in the provision of the much-needed information, ideas, innovation and knowledge which support public policy and sustainable development. The findings also revealed a dearth of information on e-library services. Therefore, the study proposes a model that can be used by e-libraries in the provision of information services which can effectively support public policy to spur sustainable development.

Learning Management by Gambling? An exploration of how New Secondary School Administrators gain Management Proficiency in Uganda

2023-12-28T07:15:44+00:00

Like most African countries, Uganda does not require secondary school administrators to have done specialist Education management training prior to appointment. Without management training beyond the general teacher education pre-service programme, how do new school administrators cope with the management demands of their offices? What local strategies do they leverage to accelerate development of management ability? These questions sparked off the study. Its aim was to explore how new secondary school administrators gain management proficiency in Uganda despite absence of specialist management training as a prerequisite. The study used a tripartite case study design with school administrators as the key participants. It also utilised individual and group interviews as well as thematic analysis. The study discovered that new school administrators learn management rather casually and sporadically. It concluded that, in Uganda, acquisition of management proficiency involves much gambling to the detriment of effectiveness.

Impact of Intimate Partner Violence on the Performance of Police Officers in Uganda

2023-12-28T07:15:51+00:00

The study investigates intimate partner violence (IPV) among police spouses in Uganda, focusing on both police-to-police and police-to-civilian relationships within police barracks. It explores the nature, prevalence, causes, and impacts of IPV on the performance of police partners at work. Using a mixed-method approach including surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions, the study reveals extremely high rates of IPV in Nsambya and Masindi police barracks, negatively affecting the efficacy of officers. Despite education and economic opportunities, younger female officers are at higher risk, influenced by cultural norms and conflict settings. IPV manifests in various forms including physical, sexual, and economic violence, and even cyber-stalking post-relationship. Limited access to resources and education exacerbates the situation, impacting job performance. To address this issue, the study suggests implementing and enforcing specific laws, providing free counseling services, adjusting deployment policies to consider family ties, improving remuneration, and supporting spouses financially. Additionally, it recommends enhancing healthcare services in police barracks and calls for further research to inform policy-making.

Collision and Contestation of Power in Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA)

2023-12-28T09:39:25+00:00

This article describes the collision and contestation of power in Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA). Power collision and contestation in KCCA have been known for a decade since the inception of the KCCA Act 2010. The draft of the Act was to have a better city; however, the implementation resulted in sharp conflicts, and since it broke at the center of power, it left a lot to be desired. Qualitative content analysis was used; articles were downloaded from various newspapers online and analyzed. Results indicate that the Act referred to the Lord Mayor as a political head in KCCA, not the political head of the Authority It was weakened because it reduced the legislative powers of the Lord Mayor to the Speaker and hence making the Mayor accountable to the Council; the Ministry of Kampala in consultation with the Ministry of Lands and Local Government shall coordinate the planning of the City and proposed an establishment of an executive committee appointed by the Lord Mayor on matters of legislation. The patronage approach cannot overtake the powers of the people and belittling the powers of elected leadership will only create more problems than the Government can solve.

Assessing the anti-corruption strategies in Africa

2023-12-28T07:16:09+00:00

This article examines the anti-corruption strategies adopted by Sub Saharan Africa countries to combat corruption. Particular attention is given to Malawi’s Institutional Integrity Committees (IICs) in the civil service. Political transitions from undemocratic regimes to democratic governance in Malawi gave hope for a corruption-free civil service. However, corruption has emerged as a major impediment. The central argument in this article is that much as the attainment of efficiency and effectiveness in the civil service is a function of many factors, the promotion of ethical behaviour by institutional integrity committees is critical. Based on documentary research and key informant interviews, the article contends that the role of integrity institutions in the fight against corruption is increasingly recognized by both public officials and political office bearers. However, despite the institutionalization of integrity committees, the fight against unethical behaviour-- particularly corruption -- is complicated by political interference, ineffective leadership, legal constraints, inadequate capacity, ineffective coordination and the lack citizen engagement. The article concludes that comprehensive policy and legal framework, effective leadership as well as strategies which improve capacity, employee motivation and citizen participation are necessary to strengthen the anti-corruption mechanisms for the effective fight against unethical behaviour, particularly corruption in the civil service.

Public Financial Management

2023-12-28T07:16:18+00:00

The study addressed Public Finance Management (PFM) in
Public Universities in Uganda. PMF, also called the public
sector economics, is the government’s strategy for managing
revenue, expenditure and taxation. It oversees how the
government’s cash flow planning, coordination and investment
are managed. The study delved to identify funding sources of
public universities in Uganda; evaluated the current financial
management practices within Public Universities in Uganda;
examined the transparency and accountability mechanisms
used for financial transactions within Public Universities
in Uganda; discussed challenges encountered by public
universities in Public Finance Management; and proposed
recommendations for enhancing the overall public financial
management system. Data collection strategy included
extensive desk reviews of documents and previous researches
on higher education. The study was purely qualitative and
was conducted both face-to-face and online. In its findings,
the study established various sources of funding for Public
Universities in Uganda; confirmed that there is drastic decline
and untimely funding to Public Universities in Uganda;
highlighted the incidences of mismanagement and lack of
transparency; and enumerated the challenges encountered
by the sub-sector in Public Finance Management. The study
concluded that there is drastic decline and untimely funding
of Public Universities. Secondly, it noted that low and
untimely funding negatively impact on achievement of the Universities’ core functions. Thirdly, it was established that
funds injected into Universities are mismanaged and lack
proper accountabilities. In its recommendations, the study
proposed that the Universities should strengthen their Public
Private Partnership engagements; carry out timely audits;
reinforce their staff capacities in teaching and research as well
as in publications and align public universities’ funding to be
performance-based; and lastly, position Public Universities
to be more innovative so that the economy continues to grow,
remain viable and sustainable.