KATINE COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS PROJECT - Guardian.co.uk

According to the district records, safe water coverage in Soroti district stands at 76%, which is
in fact well over the national average of 65%. The functionality rate of the installed water
facilities is at 89%. Results from the AMREF EU project survey done in 2007 indicate that
latrine coverage is at 68%, also above the national average of 65%. According to the District
health inspectorate however, the biggest challenge is the lack of budget support to the
Environmental Health Division for Sanitation Promotion, emphasising the need for a financial
lobbying strategy.
As much as the government has strengthened decentralisation in Uganda - with the subcounty
as the lowest unit of development planning and implementation - this has almost
exclusively emphasised the supply side of governance. Citizens have remained passive to
events and public decisions that affect them. The need for citizens to actively engage in public
decision making on matters that affect them and demand for their rights is imperative.
According to district reports, there is low community participation in local government planning
and implementation in Soroti. Therefore there is a pressing need to empower communities to
effectively engage in local governance issues across sectors. This is so important because
only 68% of the population are literate, 48% of households own a radio and 49% of the
population depend on word of mouth to get information (UBOS, 2002 Census report).
1.3 Development Context in Katine sub-county
Katine sub-county is part of Soroti district. It has one of the worst records for poverty and
underdevelopment among the 17 sub-counties and 3 municipality divisions in the district. A
comparison of Katine indicators with that from the 2006 Uganda Demographic and Health
Survey shows that overall baseline conditions for the Katine population are worse than the
average for rural areas of the country.
In light of this, the KCPP strives to improve the quality of life of the estimated 25,000 people in
Katine. The project’s integrated approach will simultaneously address various project
components of better health, access to education, access to safe water, increased incomes
and active citizen participation for decision making in local governance.
2.0 PROBLEM ANALYSIS
When AMREF addressed project priorities with the sub-county and district leaders, needs
were identified in the areas of health, education, water and sanitation, livelihoods and
community empowerment.
A household survey was conducted by AMREF in January 2008 to assess the needs further
whereby the results of the survey demonstrated that the overall baseline in Katine sub-county
were uniformly poor 6 . For example, Tiriri health centre IV has no medical doctor and has a
well equipped but non-functional operation theatre. Access to safe water in Katine was at
42% and latrine coverage was at 44%. In some parishes, like Olwelai, latrine coverage was as
6 Katine household baseline executive summary, page 2. The baseline survey was conducted by AMREF with support from
Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS)
KCPP six monthly narrative report - October 2007 to March 2008 10