Re-imagining Decentralization: Improving of Relationships between Ethnic Groups and the State in Uganda

Decentralization of state power is often argued to be the appropriate power-sharing system of government in ethnically divided societies, whenever group grievances over exclusion or discrimination by the state culminate into violent conflicts. Studies about decentralization also tend to focus on policies, systems and structures through which the state delegates, decongests and devolves its powers to local governments in which citizens participate. However, conditions under which decentralization can or fails to improve relationships especially between aggrieved ethnic groups and the state remain indeterminate. Failure to recognize these conditions may explain why the system manages conflicts within some groups and not in others, and accounts for persistent group claims over entitlement to power and control of resources. In the face of the overwhelming power and influence of the state and local governments over local communities, such claims tend to be framed and articulated by traditional authorities and their members as threats to group status, culture and identity.

This study determined that decentralization improves relationships positively when it is perceived to function effectively to deliver services, including meeting cultural and identity interests of ethnic groups especially over power and resources. However Non-positive improvement occurs when the system functions effectively to deliver services, but is perceived by ethnic groups to threaten their status, cultural and identity interests. Non-negative improvement occurs when poor service delivery frustrates ethnic groups, although not in ways that threaten their status, culture and identity interests. Relationships remain negative when poor service delivery frustrates ethnic groups, and the system is perceived to threaten their status, culture and identity interests.

This finding emerged from comparative case study of Buganda and Busoga ethnic groups in Kampala and Jinja districts located in Central and Eastern regions of Uganda, respectively. Both ethnic groups share proximate linguistic and cultural characteristics, and decentralization was implemented the same way in both districts. However unlike in Busoge, Buganda claims entitlement to power and control of local resources and the region is marked by violent interactions with the state.

Decentralization can be re-imagined to maximize implementation, by depoliticizing the system, to provide a local governments mandate that is flexible enough to create opportunities that reduce the problem of dual authorities, and policy options that level-off disparities in power and control of resources between LGs and traditional authorities. In this way, the system becomes more efficient to manage conflicts when effective delivery of services also functions to improve relationships between ethnic groups and the state.