Good governance and poverty eradication programmes in Uganda: A case study of Hoima District

Abstract

The study was set out to study the role of good governance on poverty eradication programmes in Uganda, with Hoima district as a case study but zeroing on Hoima town council and Busiisi sub county representing Hoima district. The study emanated from the fact that there were several initiatives by the government of Uganda to mitigate the exercerbation of poverty by coming up with a consortium of programmes aimed at eradicating poverty but to the amazement of many, these programmes hadn’t done much to lessen poverty levels. In this study the overall objective was to assess the role of good governance on poverty eradication programmes in Hoima district. This over all objective was dymistified into examining the contribution of good governance on poverty eradication programmes, to find out the achievements of poverty eradication programmes in Hoima district, to identify major poverty eradication programmes and their challenges in fighting poverty and to establish the role of ethics in the effective implimentation of poverty eradication programmes. The research methodology used was a case study of Hoima town council and Busiisi sub county reperesenting Hoima district the results got were extrapolated to gauge the situation of good governance and poverty eradication in Uganda. In the town council four wards were selected which included Nothern ward A, B, Western ward and Southern ward. In the sub county two parishes were selected and that is Busiisi and Kibingo parishes. The population of the study included, ordinary people, civil servants and students. The study focussed on 70 respondents among the 70, 40 were from the town council and 30 from the sub county. The research instruments used were questionnaires, interview guides, indepth interviewes and observations. The key findings got during the study were as follows, majority of the populace new the term good governance from a superfcial point of view, they didn’t know what it fully entails, major poverty eradication programmes known to the people and challenges they face were also found out, achievements of these poverty eradication programmes were also found out, respondents were of the view that good governance and the application of ethics have a pivotal role on poverty eradication strategies. The key conlusions of the study which the researcher came up with were that, there is need to have an ethic which should guide formulators of poverty eradication programmes to come up with programmes which are geared towards helping the human person because the human person is the epicenter of these poverty programmes. And there is need for government to educate all stakeholders on issues of good governance and poverty eradication from top to bottom that is from central government, public institutions like police, army, judiciary, Civil Society Organizations and local governments.