Mwananchi - Uganda

The themes for the Ugandan focus were identified by consultation meetings, stocktaking exercises, and a baseline context analysis. The research found that there is a strong link between landlessness and chronic poverty in Uganda. Since land is a major factor of production in Uganda, its management is often a political process. This is exacerbated by insecurity and displacement brought by rebel and ethnic conflicts, particularly in northern Uganda. This has direct implications for access and ownership of land for production and survival for the poor. Disadvantaged groups face difficulties in accessing justice services and can easily be excluded because institutions are far away, slow in responding to their needs, or the services are expensive. In some instances justice institutions are discriminatory towards the poor.

The programme seeks to engage formal and informal governance structures and organisations in at least three districts in the country. It is working to increase citizen participation in ways that make elected representatives accountable, promote responsiveness and transparency in governance and ensure functional institutions that deliver quality services. It achieves these objectives by created partnerships with implementing organisations and through grant funding.

During the first year of the programme, the following activities were undertaken:

• Capacity building: the Mwananchi Uganda programme invested in capacity building for community-based monitors and pilot grantees to encourage understanding of the drivers of poverty, which followed training in Outcome Mapping and action research. Training was also undertaken for journalists to develop investigative journalism skills, which was intended to enable journalists to work more effectively with citizens, and assist with promoting their voices.
• Community dialogues: Implementing partners used Reflect cycles, round table discussions, and citizens/duty bearer interfaces. In total, 80 dialogues were conducted by different partners, focussing on service delivery gaps in the areas of agriculture, primary education, health, and justice.
• Community-based monitoring: Partners established community-based structures and systems particularly Child Advocacy clubs, a school suggestion box, and Village Budget Clubs. According to the project organisers, these have been useful for monitoring, voice, and accountability, and have encouraged other community members to participate in the day-to-day governance processes.

Among the various categories of interlocutors between citizens and government in the process of governance, the programme also created partnerships with implementing organisations, through grant funding. The following is a selection of recipients and their activities.

• Cross Cultural Foundation of Uganda (CCFU) is supporting clan leaders to develop Clan leaders' Charters in the 4 regions of the country.
• Kapchorwa Civil Society Alliance (KACSOA) is empowering communities to articulate their development needs and priorities in 2 sub-counties in Kapchorwa district.
• Masindi district NGO forum (MNGF, a network organisation) is working to mainstream community input into local government development plans, including creating spaces for citizens to advise and monitor service delivery.

Governance

The Mwananchi programme's theory of change centres on citizens effectively expressing their views and interests and holding governments accountable for their actions at different levels in the governmental system. This includes three key participants - citizens (the "wananchi") or ordinary people, interlocutors, such as journalists, civil society organisations, and elected representatives, and the state. To increase the ability citizens to effectively express their views and hold governments accountable, the overall programme seeks to sharpen the roles of civil society, media, elected representatives (members of parliament and councilors), and traditional leaders; strengthen partnerships between interlocutors for comparative advantage synergies; and increase the use of research-based evidence to influence government policies and engage citizens.