Public private partnerships in infrastructure development in Uganda: A case of greater Mpigi District Local Governments

Abstract

The theme of the study was performance of Public Private Partnerships in infrastructure development in Uganda and the case study was Greater Mpigi District which comprises of three districts to include Mpigi, Butambala and Gomba. The objectives of the study were; i. To assess the nature of PPP infrastructure projects/ programmes in the greater Mpigi District. ii. To examine the factors affecting effective implementation of PPP infrastructure projects/ programmes in Greater Mpigi District. iii. To establish possible mechanisms of enhancing the implementation of PPPs in local infrastructure. The study was a descriptive research design both qualitative and quantitative methods, involving data collection tools such as a structured questionnaire , focus group discussion, observations and documents review.

The major findings of the study reveal that there are more PPP projects in the health and education sector compared to other sectors such as roads and waste management services and water and sanitation. The PPP has been mainly enabled by a conducive and enabling legal and regulatory framework is a critical prerequisite. The existence of a functioning legal and regulatory framework reduces opportunistic tendencies aligns the interest of partners and also provides confidence to the private partners as it acts as a buffer against political interference from government bodies. However, the main challenge facing PPP is emerging from the district local governments, which are economically depressed, lacking the resources to effectively apply PPP and is poor economic resource base and an inadequate regulatory framework. The best mechanism for PPP implementation was involving partnership with relevant stakeholders at the local government in Uganda for various projects, participatory planning, joint monitoring and effective information sharing with stakeholders.