Abstract:
Decentralised local government is arguably the most direct mechanism of ensuring
that the local leaders are accountable to the citizens, in form of downward
accountability. Civil society participation is thus seen as a rationale to foster civic
competence and empowerment that enables civil society to hold local governments
to account. However, for the civil society to succeed in this critical role, they must
have strong and viable institutional capacity and organisational arrangements, as
well as the enabling legislative and operational environment.
This article presents results of a fieldwork and literature study conducted to
evaluate the role and capacity of civil society in holding local governments (LGs)
accountable in Uganda. The study revealed that the colonial/historical ills still cast
a shadow over the current state and character of local civil society organisations
(CSOs) in Uganda, as it heralds mixed fortunes. The capacity of CSOs to hold
government to account is affected by, their inter-organisational deficiencies, the
regulatory regime, the CSO elite-urban capture, the CSO-donor relations, and the
desire by most CSOs to engage in business/profit contracts with government that
makes it easier to inter alia complement the work of government than questioning
it. The article reviews interventions and mechanisms to enhance the capacity of
CSOs to promote accountability on the local government level in Uganda.
