UGANDA

COMPENDIUM OF CONFLICTS IN UGANDA
and employment.” 56
DECENTRALISATION OR ‘DISTRICTISATION’ AND CONFLICT
When the current regime came to power in 1986, it embarked on a policy of
decentralisation. This was initially done through the introduction of local Resistance
Councils (RCs), which were later replaced with Local Councils (LCs). In 1992, the
Local Government Decentralisation Programme was launched and in 1993 the Local
Governments Act was passed. These developments were aimed at decentralising
decision-making powers on matters of local significance. Uganda’s decentralisation
policy, particularly in its early phases, drew praise from scholars and donors. 57 More
recently, though, with an increasingly accelerated creation of new districts (currently
counting 111), the policy has begun to attract criticism. Rather than achieving true
decentralisation of power, critics say, the policy derailed to become mere ‘districtisation’
of the country. 58
Across the country, participants in the NRTJ audit criticized the decentralisation policy
56 Urdal, H. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. (2012) Expert
paper no.2012/1, A clash of generations? Youth bulges and political violence
57 Green, E. (2008) Decentralisation and conflict in Uganda. Conflict, Security and Development, 8 (4). pp.
427-450. Refugee Law Project (2003) Displacement in Bundibugyo District: a situation analysis. Working
paper no. 10
58 See Refugee Law Project (2009) Breeding Fragmentation? Issues in the Policy and Practice of
Decentralisation in Uganda. Working paper no. ???? Accessible at http://www.beyondjuba.org/BJP1/
issue_papers/breeding_fragmentation.pdf
48