Uganda’s decentralisation policy, legal framework, local government structure and service delivery : paper prepared for the First Conference of Regional Assemblies of Africa and Europe, September 17 to 18, 2004. Florence, Italy

The purpose of this paper is to examine the rationale and characteristics of Uganda’s decentralization, discuss the legal framework, present the local government structure and examine how the policy affects service delivery. The first part of this paper examines the rationale and characteristics of Uganda’s decentralization. The sections that follow focus on the legal framework, the local government structure and how the policy of decentralization is leading to improvements in service delivery. Uganda has developed a local government system based on the constitution and an elaborate Local Governments Act. The local council structures described in this paper are Uganda’s primary institutions for the promotion of good governance, increased people’s participation and improved service delivery. Most service delivery indicators show positive improvements. Thus, the paper concludes that decentralization has not only opened up opportunities for empowerment of the people, but has also led to improvements in service delivery.