1

Training Programmes and Capacity Building Service Providers for Local Human

Resources in Uganda

Prepared for the Local Human Resources and Public Policy Development System

Open Research Centre

Ryukoku University, Japan

Frederick Golooba-Mutebi

Makerere Institute of Social Research

Makerere University

Final Draft

May 2006

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Acknowledgements

This survey has benefited from the generosity of many people who dedicated time and other

resources to its realisation. Foremost is Dr. Fumihiko Saito (and his team) at LORC, Ryukoku

University, who offered me the opportunity to get acquainted with capacity building in local

government in Uganda. Also acknowledged is Davis Ngwabe whose untiring ‘running around’ was

fundamental in allowing me time to write and attend to other obligations; Messrs Kintu Nyago,

Emmanuel Ssewankambo, Max Bwetunge, Onyango Osuna, Dr .Pascal Odoch, Dr. Ongodia (UMI),

Mrs Assumpta Bamwenda (MoLG), Ms Susan Binaisa, and Ms Munira Ali (MoLG) who generously

allowed me to tap their vast knowledge of capacity building programmes and approaches in local

government and also put various reports and documents at my disposal. I, however, take full

responsibility for the contents of the report.

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Introduction and background

From independence in 1962 to 1986, Uganda had 8 changes of government, the majority through

coups d’etat or force of arms. It was a period of authoritarian politics, with only occasional attempts

at constitutional rule through elected governments. The state was highly centralised and local

autonomy seen as a threat to the authority of the centre. In 1986 the National Resistance Movement

(NRM) seized power, also by force of arms, after 5 years of civil war against a government they

accused of dictatorship and electoral malpractices.1

The NRM came to power with broad reform ambitions focusing on the democratisation of the

country’s politics, to be achieved in part by the decentralisation of powers, resources and

responsibility from the centre to elected local authorities. The reforms effectively started in 1993 with

the enactment of the Local Government (Resistance Councils) Statute, which gave them a legal basis.

Among the powers the centre relinquished to local authorities was personnel recruitment.

Henceforth central-line ministries ceased to recruit staff and post them to outlying work stations

while retaining responsibility for, and authority over, them. Even salaries were to be paid at the local

level.

An important development for our discussion was the assumption of responsibility for personnel

training and capacity building by local governments. Given the general lack of skills throughout the

country and especially in rural areas, this became a major responsibility. For many local governments

struggling to fulfil their responsibilities due to scarcity of resources, however, it could not be easily

carried. Indeed, shortage of skilled personnel has been one of the greatest constraints local

governments have faced in trying to perform their functions since the decentralisation reforms began.

It was against this background that the Local Government Development Programme (LGDP) came

into existence.2 The LGDP is a programme of the Government of Uganda, funded by the World

Bank and other donors, and implemented under the auspices of the Ministry of Local Government.

The LGDP traces its origins in the inability by local governments to raise sufficient revenue to

finance their recurrent budgets and realise surpluses to fund their development budgets. This state of

affairs prompted the Government of Uganda to borrow US$80.9 million from the World Bank for

the purposes of rectifying the situation. 1 Accusations of electoral malpractice dated from the 1980 general elections, the first ones in 18 years of independence, which were won controversially by the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), and which provided the NRM with the reason or pretext to wage war on the UPC government. 2 Information about the LGDP was provided by the Information Office of the Ministry of Local Government.

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The programme started in October 2000, and was slated to run for 3 years. It was intended to

provide technical and financial support to local governments to help them implement their

constitutional and legal mandates within the context of decentralised service provision and

devolution of the development budget. In addition, it aimed to build the capacity of the ministry of

local government and the local government finance commission to help them deliver on their

mandates as stipulated under section 96-99 of the Local Government Act3 and article 194 in the

Constitution.4 The LGDP was to fund local governments via two funds: the local development

grants (LDG) and capacity building grants (CBG). Only those fulfilling the minimum conditions for

eligibility5 would get resources from the local development fund, while those which did not, would

access only the capacity building grants to assist them to build capacity in the first instance.

Capacity building grants provided resources for enhancing skills within local governments at both the

technical and political levels, including statutory bodies and other service providers such as

contractors, NGOs and Community-Based Organisations. The objective was to improve

performance and, with regard to local governments, compliance with legal requirements. Capacity

building was to target particularly planning, investment appraisal, contract management, service

provision, financial management, and monitoring and evaluation.

The programme ended in June 2003 and in September the same year, a second phase, LGDP II,

started, with similar objectives to those of LGDP I. LGDP II was to cost US$165 million. The

World Bank provided a credit of US$50 million. In addition, it joined hands with the Netherlands,

Denmark, Ireland and Austria and the four came up with a grant totalling US$100 million. The

Government of Uganda and the local governments were to contribute US$5.1 million and US$9.8

million respectively.

An over-arching objective of both LGDP I and LGDP II was to address problems of poverty in the

country under the guidance of the Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP), the government’s anti-

poverty master-plan. Capacity building for the purposes of enhancing service provision is seen as an

important ingredient of the national poverty eradication agenda. 3 These articles deal with the inspection, supervision and coordination of local governments. See The Local Governments Act, 1997. Entebbe: Uganda Printing and Publishing Corporation. 4Article 194 deals with the composition and duties of the Local Government Finance Commission. See Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, 1995. Entebbe: Uganda Printing and Publishing Corporation. 5The conditions included: ability to co-finance the activities to the tune of 10 percent of the total budget; meet basic accounting and planning standards, and show capacity to manage funds released to them (see Financial and Accounting Regulations, 1998).

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Situation analysis of human resources at local government level

More than a decade into the decentralisation reforms and 5 years into the LGDP, the most

comprehensive capacity building initiative in local government since the NRM seized power, 6

capacity building needs within local governments remain enormous. The situation has worsened with

the creation of new districts in the recent past, which came into existence in a context of generalised

skills shortages. 7 With support from the LGDP’s capacity building grants catering for career

development courses which are now mandatory for anyone seeking career advancement, local

government employees in many districts have attained post-graduate diplomas in various fields.8

Skills acquisition, however, has not been limited to mandatory training and qualifications. Many

attend courses at various institutions of learning, which are intended simply for performance

improvement, also with CBG support. Both technical personnel and elected leaders have benefited

from training at universities and other tertiary institutions. Enthusiasm for skills acquisition has been

so high that in some cases elected leaders have been sponsored to attend courses intended for only

technical personnel.

These gains notwithstanding, however, local governments remain handicapped by large skills gaps,

many of which stem from the restructuring of the civil service in recent years. During restructuring,

employees without the requisite qualifications for the posts they occupied have been retrenched. In

many cases they have not been replaced because of the ban the Ministry of Public Service imposed

on recruitment in order to allow for complaints and appeals by retrenched personnel to be disposed

of. The creation of a large number of districts has exacerbated the problem of lack of skills in two

ways. On the one hand, the new districts are unable to find qualified personnel in sufficient numbers.

On the other, old districts whose territory has been split to form new districts have lost personnel to

their off-shoots, also competing for the few qualified personnel available.

Capacity Building in Local Governments

• The traditional approach

6 There have been many capacity building activities over the years by NGOs and other actors including the Decentralisation Secretariat and the Uganda Local Authorities Association (ULAA), many directly funded by donors, but none has been as far-reaching in geographical coverage and scope as the LGDP. 7 Over 20 new districts were created during 2005, particularly in the period leading up to the constitution amendment to allow President Museveni to contest for a third term in office, as well as the period leading up to the elections. 8 See Consultancy to support the CB coordination function by MoLG and HRD function in Local Governments: Report submitted by ETC-EA Ltd in association with Mentor Consult Ltd. February, 2006.

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Traditionally people seeking to join the civil service have gone through conventional training in

tertiary educational institutions such as universities, colleges and vocational institutes. Entry for

those seeking to join the professional ranks was through application for vacancies via the public

service commission or local service committees. After recruitment they would be deployed at various

duty stations while remaining under the authority and direction of their superiors in their respective

line ministries.

Article 103 of the 1967 Constitution accorded each district and urban authority the right to have its

own service committee, albeit appointed by the President. In appointing the committees, the

president was under no obligation to seek or take anyone’s advice, although in practice the minister

of local government identified persons for appointment and submitted their names to the president

for approval. The minister would then appoint them formally under the president’s authority. At the

same time article 104 of the constitution empowered the president to hire and fire even the lowest

placed local government officers. Besides recruitment, promotion and discipline, training was also by

law handled by the centre.9 Before decentralization, local authority employees who for one or other

reason were unwanted at one station could be transferred by their parent ministries to another station,

which increased inefficiency in the management of personnel. 10 Once in service, training

opportunities were available through in-house civil service training institutes such as the Institute of

Public Administration (IPA), now the Uganda Management Institute (UMI). In-service training

offered opportunities for refresher training as well as post-graduate education.

At the time the NRM came to power, the civil service in Uganda was inefficient, demoralized, and

unresponsive. Its reputation had been ruined. In a bid to rectify the situation, the new government

appointed the public service review and reorganization committee (PSCRRC). The commission

identified several problems: inadequate pay and benefits, poor management, dysfunctional

organization, and insufficient personnel management and training.

Subsequently the government came up with plans for reform. 1993 saw the enactment of the

decentralisation (resistance councils) statute which vested district service committees with the

authority to appoint persons to hold or act in any office in the service of a local government council.

In addition, the committees were given powers to confirm appointments and to exercise disciplinary

9 See Nsibambi, R., 1998, ed. Decentralization and Civil Society in Uganda: The Quest for Good Governance. Kampala: Fountain Publishers. 10 Langseth, P., 1997. ‘Civil Service Reform in Uganda: Objectives and Strategic Plans’. In Langseth P., J. Katorobo, E. Brett & J. Munene, eds. Uganda: Landmarks in Rebuilding a Nation. Kampala: Fountain Publishers.

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control over officers with the exception of the District Executive Secretary and his deputy. This

marked the end of the highly centralized administrative system.

Article 200(I) of the 1995 Constitution provides for each local government to have a district service

commission with powers to appoint persons to hold or act in any office of the district, and to

confirm appointments, exercise disciplinary control over persons holding or acting in such office,

and to remove them if necessary. Under the Local Governments (Amendment) Act1997 (section 58)

district councils are responsible for appointing the chairperson and members of the DSC, upon

nomination by the District Executive Committee and approval by the Public Service Commission.

Traditional methods of recruitment and selection had necessarily to give way to new arrangements as

the need for local governments to address the increased complexity of public administration and the

rapid pace of change in their responsibilities became compelling. With responsibility for recruitment

came that for training. Here as in recruitment, local governments now have leeway to determine their

training needs and manage capacity building activities.

Currently there are different channels through which local government employees are trained and

equipped with skills. There is the LGDP under the ministry of local government, with its capacity

building programme. Then there are programmes based on curricula conceived, designed and

delivered by tertiary education institutions specifically to local government employees or to the

general public including interested local government employees. Some of them are funded by donors

with specific interest in local government, including capacity building. NGOs also carry out capacity

building activities, mostly as part of their general development programmes and projects within

jurisdictions of particular local governments.

Capacity building under the LGDP

Capacity building activities at local government level which are financed under the auspices of the

Ministry of Local Government are overseen by the ministry’s capacity building unit (CBU). Capacity

building grants are used by local governments to sponsor their technical personnel and some elected

officials for training in institutions of their choice, including universities. Here it is usually employees

who apply for courses on their own initiative and then request for sponsorship from their employer

local governments.

Each district is expected to have a human resource management division (HRMD). Where they exist

and are well-staffed, HRMDs provide guidance to local leaders about human resource management

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and development. In addition they are expected to perform specific tasks in connection with training

and capacity building. They are responsible for preparing capacity needs assessments (CNA), terms

of reference for service providers, and training assessment reports for each training activity carried

out. Capacity needs assessments are intended to identify gaps in the performance of local

government personnel, councillors, and members of civil society organisations and the private sector.

Capacity needs assessments assist in the formulation of capacity building plans. In 2005 the ministry

of local government provided training aimed at building the capacity of local governments for

conducting capacity needs assessments. Local governments are also responsible for the preparation

of terms of reference for all capacity building activities conducted under their jurisdiction. Terms of

reference are a major guide and reference for procurement, implementation and evaluation processes

of capacity building activities. Equally important, they have to ensure that each private provider or

district or municipal resource pool11 prepares a training report after each training activity. These

reports facilitate the making of detailed annual capacity building reports containing analyses of

training activities within each financial year.

Tertiary educational institutions

In addition to their generic curricula, tertiary educational institutions conceive, design and deliver

professional development programmes meant specifically for local government personnel. They are

routinely advertised in local print media, attracting applications from local government employees

and other interested parties and are usually taught at post-graduate certificate, diploma, and degree

levels. As indicated above, some applicants are sponsored by their employers using funds allocated to

them from the LGDP’s capacity building fund. Specific training institutions or their faculties and

departments also design discrete programmes and courses funded by donors specifically for the

purposes of capacity building in local governments. Table 4 shows the capacity building activities

managed by I@Mak, a special programme at Makerere University 12 dedicated to promoting

innovations in local government management. The programme is funded by a credit from the World

Bank, with matching funding from the Rockfeller Foundation. As the table shows, the courses and

training activities are delivered by a wide range of faculties and departments at the university.

11 District or municipal resource pools are groups of experienced people assembled by district administrations for the purposes of carrying out capacity building activities. They are intended to be a mechanism through which people with experience and knowledge can participate in building up the capacity of their less experienced and less knowledgeable counterparts. 12 Decentralised Service Delivery: A Makerere University Training Pilot Project.

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There are also programmes directly funded and conducted by donors, such as the SNV programme

in the North-west of Uganda, details of which are covered below. It has not been possible within the

time and resources available to establish how many donors have similar programmes and in which

parts of the country.

Training and training service providers

Much capacity building under the LGDP is based on a curriculum consisting of 26 generic training

modules as shown in table 1. The modules, intended for skills training, have been prepared by

experts under the auspices of the ministry of local government. As tables 2 & 3 show, many service

providers, private and public, have been short-listed by the MoLG to provide capacity building

services. The private providers are mostly consulting firms or specialised training institutes many of

which owe their existence to the explosion in demand for training and consultancy services, thanks in

part to decentralisation and the emphasis the LGDP has placed on training. They provide outreach,

short-term skills training services using the ministry of local government’s generic modules. They do

not teach professional courses of the kind offered by academic institutions.

As Table 2 shows, in fiscal year 2004/5, there were 70 different public and private capacity building

service providers. The biggest player was Uganda Management Institute (UMI) which provided 175

out of a total of 559 courses, representing over 30 percent of the total. Others were Makerere

University’s Law Development Centre which provided 111 courses (20 percent), (the rest of)

Makerere University with 56 courses (10 percent). Overall the top three providers delivered over 60

percent of career development training, with the top 5 delivering about 70 percent.

Among the top 3 providers UMI and (the rest of) Makerere University offer a variety of professional

courses, while the Law Development Centre offers only specialised courses in the legal field. UMI

provided Human Resource Management, Public Administration, Governance, Financial Management,

Project Planning, Management and others (see Prospectus). Makerere University provided Public

Administration and other courses. The Law Development Centre provided the Administrative

Officers Law Certificate course, as well as Diploma in Law courses.

Within the local governments themselves, human resource management divisions (HRMD) prepared

capacity needs assessments (CNA), capacity building plans (CBP), terms of reference and contracts

for service providers, capacity building annual reports and performance appraisals, and also organised

training events. In addition, local governments are responsible for procuring training services from

firms and training institutions already pre-qualified by the ministry, and for signing contracts with

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them. Although contracts are prepared on the basis of a template provided by the ministry, local

capacity for preparing contracts was greatly enhanced by the human resources development course

conducted in 2005.13

Recruitment of service providers

In the first instance advertisements are placed in newspapers inviting firms to apply for pre-

qualification. Applicants are required to indicate previous experience and the training modules in

which they have expertise. Once pre-qualified, a firm “has to use marketing techniques to lobby for

work, including building up contacts within the ministry”.14 When invited to bid for contracts, firms

are asked to write technical and financial proposals in line with the terms of reference. Technical

committees then meet to evaluate the bids, decide which modules to award which firm, and send

them to the tender boards with guidelines and comments. If a contract is awarded, the firm writes a

letter of acceptance. Contract documents are then prepared and signed. The firm then writes a

requisition for release of funds with a time-table of training activities.

Experiences of private service providers

The information in the table below was collected from interviews with representatives of four private

training firms, three based in Kampala, the other in Tororo town.

Securing work

• Once short-listed, it is up to the firm to solicit for work from the District Tender Boards

• Local governments give priority to Kampala-based firms because local firms are seen as

lacking experience and appropriate personnel. Local firms are not accorded a chance to build

their own capacity through work experience.

• Proximity to the district headquarters does not necessarily give a firm any advantage over

others. Successful lobbying is what makes the difference. Kampala-based firms are better at

lobbying for work and “oiling the system”.

• Getting an assignment is very difficult. Even when a contract is awarded, “they want a

package” (bribe), which makes work difficult.

Implementation

• Some trainees in skills training activities are un-trainable because “they lack the capacity to

absorb concepts. People cannot take what we give”.

13 Local government capacity building and human resource development, ‘Delivery of the HRD Course’, Final Report, June 2005. 14 Interview, March, 2006.

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• Many people have attended too many workshops and have come to see them as a source of

per diem allowances, out-of-pocket expenditure, etc. Little attention paid to the training

itself.

• The firm organises all the training materials: manuals, hand-outs and stationery and meals. In

addition, it may be asked to identify and hire training venues, pay participants allowances:

transport and out-of-pocket expenses. For people are otherwise fatigued by attending

workshops, the biggest incentive to attend training activities are the per diems and out-of-

pocket allowances. “If you don’t pay them they don’t come. Some may come, take the

money and then leave. If you don’t pay them, it could cause a riot”.

• Course participants evaluate facilitators from the start. “When they detect lack of skills on

the part of trainers, they can be difficult”.

• Some modules are residential while others require participants to commute from their

homes.

• Following training, training reports are submitted. Also, participants fill in evaluation forms

about the performance of the firms.

In addition to private consultancy firms and training institutes as well as public tertiary institutions

local governments provide (skills) training for their own personnel. They are required to form

resource pools composed of skilled and experienced staff from various departments of a particular

local government. Suitable employees of civil society organisations are also eligible to join local

resource pools. The role of resource pools is to carry out in-house training and capacity building for

junior and less experienced personnel. Members of resource pools should ideally possess facilitation

skills, training-of-trainers experience, and expertise in specific fields.

The original intention behind the formation of resource pools was that they support human

resources management divisions (HRMD) in conducting capacity needs assessments, formulating

capacity building programmes, drawing up 3-year rolling capacity building plans, delivering specific

capacity building activities, and monitoring and evaluating the capacity building activities of external

service providers. Although many districts have constituted resource pools15, few have put them to

use. In some districts they are inactive and have not even met as a group. In others they are too large

to be used effectively. Where they have been split between new and old districts, they are often too

small to be usable.

15 Ibid.

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Some districts have not planned any activities for local resource pools to implement. Local

governments seem generally to prefer to engage private providers, even at lower local government

level where resource pools might have been more cost effective. In districts where activities for

resource pools have been planned, implementation is hampered by resource constraints. It is also

reported that, where they have been formed, some resource pools lack members with adequate skills

and experience. They are therefore ‘not taken seriously by participants in the few cases they attempt

to carry out capacity building activities’.16 Also, where they have been used, organisational weaknesses

have rendered them ineffective.17

Capacity building in 2004/5

A total of 55 local governments submitted capacity building reports for financial year 2004/05.

Together they spent 4.6 billion Uganda shillings18 on capacity building activities out of a total of 5.8

billion19 spent by all of the 69 local governments. Of the total amount, 56 percent was spent on skills

development, 18 percent on career development and 20 percent on other discretionary capacity

building activities. Career development activities encompassed courses at certificate, diploma,

postgraduate diploma, bachelors and masters degree level. Skills training activities constitute discrete

outreach courses conducted by consulting firms within the contracting districts.

While the main source of funding for career development courses was the capacity building grant

(93%), some local governments used their own resources and assistance from donors (6.7%). The

use of resources from other sources to for capacity building suggests that local governments possess

the potential to continue building up capacity even after the local government development

programme (LGDP) under which the activities are currently funded ends.

Only 47 out of the 70 pre-qualified service providers were engaged by local governments. Kampala

International Management Institute (KIMI) took the lion’s share of contracts and implemented 57

activities, followed by UMI (17), Missing Link (16), and Sunshine Projects (14). Of the 47 providers

which won contracts, 15 implemented only one capacity building activity each. Interestingly, during

2005/6 the prequalification process, for reasons that remain (as yet) unclear, weeded out 17 service

providers and brought in 38 new ones (see tables 2 & 3).

16 Ibid, p.11. 17 Ibid. 18 Approximately US$2.7million and US$3.4 million respectively. 19 See Consultancy to support the CB coordination function by MoLG and the HRD function in LGs – Report of Hands-on Support Draft – submitted by ETC-EA Ltd. in association with Mentor Consult Ltd. February 2006.

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Weighing the capacity building programme

Overall the capacity building initiatives have yielded enormous benefits for local governments. In

addition to imparting skills, they have enhanced the professional calibre of local technocrats and

boosted overall capacity. At the political level they have imparted skills and knowledge in elected

leaders. Even if they subsequently lose elections as they are bound to do, they still add to the small

pool of knowledgeable and civically competent people who are able to question and hold local

government officers and leaders to account. Even members of statutory boards such as tender

boards have benefited from training opportunities. Development planning capacity is now high. Also,

there is greater understanding of the planning process and how it is linked to financial and personnel

needs. Previously development plans often bore no resemblance to local needs and capacity for

implementation. Prior to training, local governments lacked the capacity for carrying out capacity

needs assessments. Capacity building has done a great deal to create and improve performance in this

domain. There is a great deal of knowledge at the local level about the subjects addressed by the

generic training modules.

That said, though, some training activities, particularly the professional development courses, can be

justifiably criticised for ultimately building the capacity of individuals rather than that of the local

governments for which they work. When individual beneficiaries leave the service of their employers,

they create new gaps.20 And, while the availability of resources to fund training programmes has been

a great boost to skills enhancement efforts at local government level, it has, nonetheless, had some

serious (and probably), unanticipated shortcomings. One is the sheer number of personnel who have

taken up opportunities for training. Many have taken study leave and left large capacity gaps for the

duration they have been away. In a way this has been the outcome of failure by local governments to

plan for training in ways that prevent interference with the proper functioning of their systems.

Overall, local governments seem to focus more on individual than on institutional needs. No

organisational (needs) assessments and evaluations of the benefits of training for the organisation are

conducted. This is the consequence of lack of capacity by local governments to conduct such

assessments. In addition, human resource management divisions are reported not to pay adequate

attention to implementing cost-effective capacity building activities such as on-job training,

mentoring, under-studies, induction and orientation. Nor do they pay attention to the need for

human resource management and development training for appointed and elected officials in higher

20 Interview with a service provider, March 2006.

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and lower local governments. Further, HRMDs are also lax when it comes to monitoring and

tracking performance improvements as a result of training and capacity building (Etc & Mentor,

2006).

Although skills training courses are relevant to the functioning of local governments, they are not

mandatory for either confirmation or promotion, contrary to what is stipulated by guidelines (ibid.,

p.11). Selection of candidates for career development courses in 2004/5 also had a few problems

such as inclusion of candidates close to retirement. For example, in Kampala and Fort Portal, people

with just 3 years of service before retirement were sent on long-term career development courses

(ibid.). Nonetheless, most candidates were below the age of 40 and therefore had many years of

service left. Another anomaly of the capacity building activities was the sponsoring of elected

councillors for career development courses in districts such as Ntungamo, Kamwenge and

Sembabule, and in Entebbe Municipality. Meanwhile Wakiso District trained 180 politicians in

information and communication technology. Furthermore, although guidelines limit courses to one

financial year, some of the courses funded, especially degree courses, lasted longer (ibid., p.14). These

decisions violated the guidelines. They can, however, be seen as indicative of the ability of local

governments to make decisions to suit their unique circumstances, even if they may conflict with

opinion at the centre.

Capacity Building outside the LGDP: The Netherlands Development Organisation

Under its District Local Government Support Programme (DLGSP) now in its second phase, the

Netherlands Development Organisation, SNV, has been involved directly in skills capacity building

in five districts in the Northwest of Uganda. The so-called MAYAN districts include Moyo, Arua,

Yumbe, Adjumani and Nebbi. Following training needs assessments and the development of capacity

building plans in all the five districts, training was provided in records administration and information

management. Also, SNV worked with the districts to develop their human development policies.

According to a study conducted in late 2005:

The effectiveness of SNV service delivery was most felt in the

following intervention areas: development planning and budgeting

by timely production of district development plans; budget

framework papers; capacity building plans, budgets, procurement

plans and bid documents and timely generation of various reports

for accountability and transparency; the mentoring and monitoring

reports, quarterly audit reports, progress reports, staff appraisal

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reports, meetings, committee reports, financial accountability

reports…21

The DLGSP sought to complement the Ministry of Local Government’s capacity building

programme and other capacity building activities under the auspices of the Ministries of Public

Service (MPS) and Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MFPED). However, the ministry

of local government has expressed concern about, among other things, SNV’s failure regularly to

submit reports to local governments and the ministry’s headquarters, lack of transparency in day-to-

day activities, lack of harmonisation of technical assistance programmes in local governments, and

poor utilisation of district training pools.22

Achievements of the SNV programme

It is reported that the programme has

…enabled institutional strengthening at higher local government

level for effective transfer of knowledge and skills especially in

planning and budgeting, financial management, transparency and

accountability at lower local government level and to an

appreciable extent the mainstreaming of cross-cutting issues such

as gender, HIV/AIDS and environment. … the programme has

made a difference in terms of improvement in the capacities of …

districts to meet minimum conditions and performance measures

required in the national assessment of local governments”.23

In addition, it has “led to establishment of tax registers at all levels” through sponsorship of training

for revenue enhancement which has been taken over by the local government finance commission.

SNV input is reported to have resulted in increased revenues 24 , a picture that might have

subsequently changed with the unilateral outlawing in 2005, of graduated tax, the single most

important source of local government revenue.

21 UPIMAC Consultancy SERVICES Ltd., 2005. Mid-term Evaluation Report of The Royal Netherlands Embassy – Sponsored District Local Government Support Programme Phase II (p.7). Under the DLGSP II, the areas identified for support are: planning and budgeting, accountability and transparency, Development Management and Administration, Human Resource Management and Development, Local Revenue enhancement, public/private partnership, and Natural Resource Management and Utilisation. 22 Ibid. 23 Ibid., p.20. 24 Ibid., p.23.

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Innovations in capacity building

The programme itself is a great innovation. Before it came into being, training outside of tertiary

institutions was a short-term activity, often addressed in a disjointed manner by donors. While they

financed bodies such as the decentralisation secretariat and the Uganda Local Authorities Association

which implemented training programmes of their own, donors in their individual capacity took

charge of specific districts, more like SNV in the North-west, with their own training designs and

courses. Local governments which were not lucky enough to enjoy special donor attention lagged

behind those that did. By conceiving and coming up with a capacity building programme that sought

to address problems of capacity building in all districts, the ministry demonstrated its capacity for

innovation. The idea of creating local resource pools and that of bringing in the private sector where

previously training was mostly the preserve of public institutions was also innovative, as was the

decision to provide training on-site and not obliging all trainees to leave their work stations for non-

residential courses.

This particular innovation has been bolstered by programmes such as I@Mak’s outreach training

activities conducted by several of Makerere University’s faculties and departments. To this one

should add the Uganda Management Institute’s Uganda Global Distance Learning Centre. It was

established in 1999 and started operations in 2000. Its establishment was financed by the World Bank

Institute as part of its efforts to ensure learning is not limited by space or time, thanks to advances in

information communication technology. The centre is able to deliver skills and professional

development courses to local government personnel via teleconferencing, using expertise from any

part of the world. Currently local government accounts for about 38 percent of its use.25

Lessons learned

Many lessons, negative and positive, can be learned from the capacity building activities reviewed

here.

• The short-listing of so many private providers provides local governments with a wide range

of choice. It does, however, eventually mean little, given that to win contracts firms have to

do a great deal of lobbying and dispensing of favours. The system is open to corruption.

• The idea of using local resource pools is potentially useful and cost-effective, and worth

exploiting to the full.

• The SNV initiative is a useful complement to Ministry of Local Government programmes.

However, it is difficult to replicate, as not all districts can be covered. Also, if encouraged,

25 Interview with Mr. Richard Obura, Coordinator, Distance Learning Programmes, May, 2006.

17

similar initiatives risk duplication of activities already provided for under the LGDP capacity

building programme. Having said that, the initiative’s emphasis of apprenticeship and

mentoring is worth emulating.

• There is need for greater oversight over training activities by the ministry of local

government, even within a decentralised context. For example, sponsoring elected officials

for courses at the expense of technical personnel is not the best way to use scarce resources

in a context of acute shortage of technical skills. The fact that elected people are susceptible

to being voted out of office means there is less certainty of their skills ever being put to use

by local governments than if the people trained were technocrats who might stay at their

jobs for long periods of time and in the process join local resource pools to train others.

• LGDP funds for capacity building must be used within a financial year. If not used, they

must be remitted to the centre. This pressurises local governments “to blow the money”, as

one respondent put it, rather than put it to judicious use.

• Pre-qualification has added a competitive edge to the competition for work. Theoretically,

therefore, the best firms get work. In reality, however, firms with sharper lobbying skills, and

these are not necessarily the best, get the bulk of the contracts.

• In applying for pre-qualification, firms may misrepresent themselves, using the CVs of

associate consultants whose availability for work is uncertain. Interviews reveal that in

practice some firms engage inexperienced trainers and deliver services of inferior quality to

that which they would have promised at the time of pre-qualification and tendering.

• Profit motives drive firms to cut corners and costs. A course that should ideally last 5 days

may be delivered in 2 to 3 days to save on costs, often with the connivance of capacity

building coordinators.

• The capacity building programme is a good example of a successful public/private

partnership in service delivery. Involvement of the private sector has injected imagination

and initiative into the programme and made it flexible and adaptable.

Transferability of programmes to other countries

• Resource pools are a very good idea which, in the context of resource-poor countries would

have far-reaching results if organised properly. Often local governments have experienced,

under-used, and de-motivated personnel. Vesting them with the responsibility of training

their juniors can be one of the ways in which they can be motivated, as it adds meaning to

their work.

18

• While the use of private sector providers is good, it seems as if it is appropriate only in

contexts where there is acute shortage of tertiary institutions (universities, polytechnics, etc)

with the ability to perform the task.

• In contexts characterised by meagre resources, outreach courses by university departments

may be a good and cost-effective way to deliver training than conventional class-based

approaches.

Needed improvement

• On-the-spot checks by outside inspectors would help iron out weaknesses, as firms are

reported to collude with capacity building coordinators to frustrate efforts aimed at weeding

them out.

• Training could be better coordinated. Sometimes there are so many training activities taking

place at the same time, even when some people should ideally attend all of them.

• There ought to be a system of auditing of the outcomes of training. This should provide

information about the degree to which improvement in performance can be justifiably

attributed to capacity building activities.

• Ways should be found to make training activities feel less like fun outings and sources of

cash, and more like the serious undertakings they were meant to be.

• Some training activities are pitched at a theoretical level which participants without formal

education are unable to comprehend. More emphasis should be placed on teaching practical

skills. For example, elected leaders could be trained in report writing. Currently very few

local governments have reports outlining what lessons their councillors have learnt from

exposure visits to other districts. This is partly because the visits are treated as pleasure tours,

and partly because councillors have no idea how to write reports.

• There should be more emphasis on non-workshop-like activities such as mentoring, work

attachments, secondments, coaching, role modelling and exposure visits. For example, work

attachments could be used inter-governmentally by getting people from poorly performing

districts to learn from those in districts known for exemplary performance.

• To ensure effective use of resources, elected leaders should be restricted to generic training

and prevented from elbowing out civil servants from professional training courses.

• Local government personnel benefiting from professional training should be bonded to

prevent them from running to take up more attractive opportunities as soon as they

complete their training, and leaving gaps that the training was intended to cover up.

• The ministry should devise a system of post-training evaluation of acquired skills.

19

Postscript and issues for further study

A critical issue which has not been addressed by this mini-survey is if the capacity building initiatives

in local government in Uganda have been transformative and if so, to what extent. This is the

outcome of time and resource constraints which could not permit going down to where the training

had taken place and interviewing people who have benefited from the training itself, and members of

the communities within which they work. Had such investigation been factored into the survey, it

would have been possible to find out whether or not there has been a change in the way newly-

trained leaders relate to the people they lead, and therefore if the training they have received has

transformed their understanding of what leadership is about as well as their approach to their

functions. Enhanced understanding of the capacity building initiatives and appreciation of their

impact calls for further research.

20

Table 1: Generic Ministry of Local Government Courses under LGDP’s CBG

Course

number

Course title

1 Management and leadership skills in local government

2 Human resources management in local governments

3 Lower local government roles and responsibilities, communication

4 Civil society organisations and public-private partnership

5 Development planning for higher- and lower-level local governments

6 Investment appraisal/project appraisal

7 Procurement and contract management

8 Supervision of project implementation

9 Project monitoring and evaluation

10 Financial management for non-finance staff

11 Financial management: budgeting and accounting

12 Financial management: internal control and audit

13 Revenue mobilisation in local governments

14 Monitoring of revenue collection

15 Decentralisation, Local Government Act, Local government system

16 Community participation and mobilisation

17 Legislation in local government and making of bye-laws

18 Computer skills / ICT

19 Data collection, records and data management

20 Training of trainers

21 Gender awareness training

22 Gender training for gender focal points

23 Urban management and planning

24 Ethics and integrity

25 Institutional and organisational analysis

26 Environmental impact assessment

Table 2: Private-sector training providers (FY 2004/5)

1 African Business and Development Consultants

2 Apex Development Consultancy

3 Associated Procurement Consultants Ltd

4 Bahemuka, Johnston, Nyende & Co.

5 Bemoi National Consult Ltd.

6 Bergen Consult (U) Ltd.

21

7 Biosca Consultants Ltd.

8 Business Synergies

9 Centre for African Development Initiative (CADI)

10 Community Access Consult (EA) Ltd.

11 Data Figure & Co.

12 Decentralisation and Innovative Service (DICS)

13 De-Point Development Consultants

14 Developing Africa Consultants

15 Development and Management Consultants International (DMCI)

16 Development Consultants International Ltd (IDC)

17 ECO-Shelter & Environment Consultants (ESIR)

18 Environment and Development Associates

19 Ernest and Young

20 Finance & Management Consultancy (FIMCO)

21 Gimeyi & Associates

22 Greenstar International

23 Guffi International (U) Ltd.

24 Horizons International Ltd.

25 Inc Associates Development Consultants

26 Jasper Semu & Associates

27 Jim Roberts & Associates

28 JKB Finance and Management Consultants

29 K. Management & Business Consultans

30 K2-Consult (U) Ltd.

31 Kampala International Management Institute

32 Kaper Associates

33 Kashap

34 Kebu Consultants

35 KPMG

36 Lego Consult (EA) Ltd.

37 Makerere University – Vice Chancellor’s Office

38 Makerere Business School – Bus Development Centre

39 Management Training and Advisory Centre

40 Manpower Services

41 Midland & Company (M&C)

42 Missing Link Consultants Ltd.

43 MUK – Child Health and Development Centre

22

44 MUK – Institute of Adult and Continuing Education

45 MUK – Institute of Environment and Natural Resources

46 Multitech Management Consultants Ltd.

47 National Forest Authority

48 Ngomuka Holdings Ltd.

49 Nile Basin Consultants

50 Nordic Consulting Group (U) Ltd.

51 Peers Ltd.

52 Planning & Development Collaboration International (PADCO)

53 Policy Analysis Advocacy Centre

54 Purchasing and Logistics Management Consult Ltd.

55 Right Mark Consultants

56 RM Business Solutions Ltd

57 Rowa Consultants Ltd.

58 Royal Masters

59 Sidplan (Africa) Trust Corp Ltd.

60 Social Development Consultants Ltd.

61 Sunshine Projects Ltd / Mbarara Business Growth Centre

62 Supply Chain Managers (SCM) Consulting

63 Team Business College

64 The Grotius Consulting Group

65 Tradema

66 Trans African Management Institute (TAMI)

67 Uganda Local Authorities Association

68 Uganda Management Institute

69 UPIMAC

70 Windsor Consult

71 District Resource Pools

Table 3: Private Sector Service Providers (FY 2005/6)

1 Access Development Associates New

2 African Business and Development Consultants

3 African Visionary Consult New

4 Apas Consultants New

5 Apex Development Consultancy

6 Assess Africa Development Policy Management Agency New

7 Avid Consult Management and Development Consultants New

23

8 Benchmark Management Training and Research Consultants New

9 Bergen Consult (U) Ltd.

10 Bisons Consult International Ltd. New

11 Business Synergies

12 Community Access Consult (EA) Ltd.

13 Community Empowerment Research Training (Certico) New

14 Community Links Management Consultancy & Henri Gold Global New

15 Data Figure & Company

16 Data Uganda Ltd. New

17 Developing Africa Consultants

18 Development and Management Consultants International (DMCI)

19 Development Consultants International (IDC)

20 Development Strategy Consult (Africa) Ltd. New

21 Encon Ltd. New

22 Enviro-Impact and Management Consults New

23 Environment and Development Associates

24 Ernest and Young

25 Farout-Con New

26 Finance and Management Consultancy (FIMCO)

27 Focus 3000 Co. Ltd. New

28 Forecast Consult Ltd. New

29 Functional Techniques Services Ltd. New

30 Gipea Consult Ltd New

31 GN & Associates New

32 Greenstar International

33 Guffi International (U) Ltd.

34 Horizons International Ltd.

35 Human Resources Development Consults Ltd New

36 Impact Associates Ltd. New

37 Inc Associates Development Consultants

38 Innovative Vision Uganda Ltd. New

39 ITECH Business Consult Ltd. New

40 International Data Network (IDN) New

41 Jasper Semu & Associates

42 Jim Roberts & Associates

43 JKB Finance and Management Consultants

44 K. Management & Business Services Ltd

24

45 K-2 Consult (U) Ltd.

46 Kagga & Partners Ltd. New

47 Kal Consults New

48 Kampala International Management Institute

49 Kaper Associates

50 Kashap

51 KB Social Development & Management Consults New

52 Kebu Consultants

53 Lego Consult (EA) Ltd.

54 Lira Community Development Association (LICODA) New

55 Makerere University – Vice Chancellor’s Office

56 Makerere University Business School – Bus Development Centre

57 Makerere University Consultancy Bureau New

58 Management Training and Advisory Centre

59 Manpower Services (U) Ltd.

60 Mato Group (U) Ltd. New

61 Midland & Company (M&C)

62 Missing Link Consultants Ltd.

63 Ms Bakidde, Hannan & Sekaana Advocates and Consultants Ltd. New

64 MUK – Institute of Adult and Continuing Education

65 MUK – Institute of Environment and Natural Resources

66 Multitech Management Consultants Ltd.

67 National Forest Authority

68 Ngomuka Holdings Ltd.

69 Nile Basin Consultants

70 Nordic Consulting Group (U) Ltd.

71 OSH Learning Systems New

72 Peers Ltd.

73 Premier Consulting Group (U) Ltd. New

74 Procurement and Management Consults Ltd. New

75 Purchasing & Logistics Management Consult Ltd.

76 RM Business Solutions Ltd.

77 Rowa Consultants Ltd.

78 Royal Masters

79 Rural Development Associates (Rudea) New

80 Sidplan (Africa) Trust Corp Ltd.

81 Social Development Consultants Ltd.

25

82 Sule Integrated Development Associates New

83 Sunshine Projects Ltd. / Mbarara Business Growth Centre

84 Team Business College

85 Techno Brain (U) Ltd. New

86 The Grotius Consulting Group

87 TMK & Co. Certified Public Accountants New

88 Training Development & Management Consultants (Tradema)

89 Trans African Management Institute (TAMI)

90 Uganda Local Authorities Association

91 Uganda Management Institute

Table 4: Training projects at Makerere University, funded by I@Mak

Faculty Project name

Medicine Training of reproductive health workers for decentralised districts

Veterinary medicine Animal feed production skills; Planning and Management for Decentralised

systems

Veterinary medicine Attitudinal change and enhancement of practical skills for veterinary service

providers decentralised district.

Agriculture Integrated training of district extension workers in food and nutrition security

Agriculture Enhancing the role of Makerere in technology generation and dissemination: a

pilot project for four districts in Eastern Uganda

Agriculture Refresher courses on practical skills in feeding, housing and management of

farm animals for district extension staff

Agriculture / Soil Science Capacity building for using up-to-date soil decision aid tools for sustainable soil

resource management in a decentralised system

Agriculture / Crop Science Enhancing horticultural crops production in decentralised districts through

training in propagation techniques and proper cultural practices

Agriculture / MUARIK Strengthening practical agriculture training to adequately handle challenges of

decentralisation and agricultural modernisation programmes in Uganda.

Agriculture / Soil Science Enhancing bio-fertiliser technology dissemination in decentralised districts.

Architecture The role of architecture in designing and planning of appropriate urban

development and resource use in a decentralised system. Bridging the capacity

gap.

Arts Enhancing strategic and integrated development planning skills under

decentralised governance in Uganda.

Arts / Religious Studies Conflict management skills for sustainable decentralisation

Institute for Adult & Enhancing the capacity of Makerere University I.A.C.E’s regional centres to

26

Continuing Education promote distance and community participation in decentralised districts

Main Library Establishment of a decentralised database and provision of document delivery

service to local resource centres.

Medicine / Psychiatry Decentralised District Mental Health Strategy

Social Science Gender training and skills development course for decentralisation in Uganda

Social Science Revitalising and popularising data collection and management within the

context of decentralisation

Social Science / Sociology Training of extension staff in community mobilisation skills

Technology Capacity building for decentralised districts in management of assets.

Technology Capacity building for decentralised districts to strengthen small-scale workshops

through manufacture of equipment locally

Technology Development of an appropriate training programme for engineering personnel

for decentralised districts

Technology/Surveying Training for strengthening Parish Land Committees

Agriculture Partnership between Makerere and districts in improving practical skills of

agriculture graduates through internships

Agriculture Building capacity for sustainable water resources development for agricultural

production and domestic use in districts and the department of agricultural

engineering

Veterinary medicine Practtical training in integrated fish farming for extension staff and selected

farmers in Rakai and Wakiso districts

Medicine Incorporation of traditional practitioners in decentralised mental health care in

the districts of Kampala, Wakiso, Rakai and Ntungamo

27

Interviews

Assumpta Bamwenda, Ministry of Local government.

Dr. A.E. Ongodia, Uganda Management Institute

Kintu Nyago, Developing Africa Consultants, Kampala.

Dr. Pascal Odoch, Greenstar International, Kampala.

Onyango Osuna, Sule Integrated Rural Development Organisation Ltd, Tororo.

Max Bwetunge, Avid Management Consult and Development Consultants, Kampala.

Emmanuel Sewankambo, Mentor Consult, Kampala.

Catharine Binaisa, Mentor Consult, Kampala.

Richard Obura, Coordinator, Distance Learning Programmes, Uganda Management Institute.