Mak IR Repository (Makerere University)
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Socialization, employee engagement and innovation in organizations
No full textA dissertation submitted to the School of Psychology in partial fulfilment for the award of a Master of Organizational Psychology of Makerere University KampalaSocialization (On-Boarding), Employee Engagement and Innovation in Organizations. Today innovation has become a great strategic device and key to organizational survival as companies are increasingly becoming wiped out by game-changing ideas. Whereas many organizations are increasingly emphasizing innovation as an avenue to create new products, reduce costs and increase revenue, they do very little to nurture it. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between socialization, employee engagement and innovation. Relying on a cross-sectional, correlational survey research design, a total of 207 identified participants from Kampala Capital City Authority completed the research questionnaire. Data was analyzed using SPSS and the findings of the study highlight positive relationships between socialization and employee engagement (r= 0.186, p <0.001), employee engagement and innovation (r= 0.247, p<0.001) and a weak and negative relationship between socialization and innovation (r= -0.023, p<0.001). The study further highlights employee engagement as a significant mediator between socialization and innovation (β = 0.26, p<0.001). The study presents interesting implications for managers and the academia on the role of socialization and employee engagement in driving innovation within organizations. The conclusions from the study are that focusing on the drivers of employee engagement is a great way to improve innovation, socialization is a key factor in employee engagement but not as much for innovation. The study recommendations include organizations paying more attention to employee engagement initiatives to bring about innovation and taking deliberate steps to plan and execute proper employee socialization programs in order to guarantee employee engagement among new hires
The role of mobile money in enhancing access to finance for female-owned SMES in Uganda.
No full textA research report submitted to the College of Business and Management Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of a degree of Master of Economic Policy Management of Makerere UniversityAccess to finance remains a critical barrier to the growth and sustainability of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This is particularly for those owned by women in developing economies like Uganda. This study assesses the role of mobile money in enhancing access to finance for female-owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Uganda. Despite the significant growth of mobile money services, female entrepreneurs often face barriers in accessing formal financial services, limiting the growth potential of their businesses. Using a sample of 300 female participants drawn from the Fin scope dataset, this research employs stratified random sampling and logistic regression analysis to identify key factors influencing access to finance (ATF).
The results show that only 34.67% of the respondents had access to finance, with significant determinants being proximity to mobile money services, saving electronically, and awareness of digital loans. Women living closer to mobile money services (within one kilometer) had a 48% higher likelihood of accessing finance compared to those farther away. Additionally, those who saved electronically had 68% higher odds of financial access, while awareness of digital loans increased access by 53%.
These findings underscore the critical role mobile money plays in improving financial inclusion for female-owned SMEs. The study concludes that expanding mobile money infrastructure, promoting digital savings, and enhancing financial literacy on digital financial products are essential strategies for fostering financial access among female entrepreneurs in Uganda. This research offers policy recommendations to improve financial accessibility and support the growth of female-owned SMEs through mobile money platforms.
Key Words: Mobile money, Access to finance, female owned SME
The effect of institutional quality on tax structure in East African countries
No full textA dissertation submitted to the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of a Degree of Master of Arts in Economics of Makerere UniversityThis study investigated the effect of institutional quality on tax structure in East African countries. Using macroeconomic data spanning 26 years (1996–2021), the study employed the Panel Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model to analyze how factors such as political stability, control of corruption, government effectiveness, and accountability influence tax structure in the region. Data was sourced from the Worldwide Development Indicators (WDI 2021), Government Revenue Datasets, and the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI 2022).
The findings revealed that, in the long run, government effectiveness positively and significantly influences the ratio of direct to indirect taxes at a 10% significance level, suggesting that efficient governance supports the design and implementation of tax structure that favor direct taxes over indirect ones, promoting equity. Control of corruption also has a positive and significant effect at 10% significance level, indicating that reducing corruption enhances the fairness and potentially encouraging greater reliance on direct taxes. Political stability shows a strong positive effect at 1% significance level emphasizing its importance in creating a stable environment that enables effective administration and a progressive tax structure. However, in the short run, control of corruption and government effectiveness have a statistically significant negative effect on the ratio of direct to indirect taxes. This suggests that initial efforts to combat corruption and improve governance may disrupt existing tax systems, leading to a temporary reliance on indirect taxes or challenges in increasing the share of direct taxes. Over time, these reforms are expected to stabilize and improve tax performance.
The study recommends that East African governments enhance government effectiveness and control corruption to achieve a better balance between direct and indirect taxes. This includes designing more progressive tax structure that emphasize direct taxes while reducing reliance on regressive indirect taxes, which disproportionately burden low-income households. Key measures include enhancing transparency, adopting digital tools to minimize human intervention in tax administration, building capacity among tax officials, and ensuring transparent use of tax revenues. These actions will boost revenue collection, foster public trust, encourage compliance, and promote a tax structure that relies more on direct taxes for greater equity and fairness
Effects of land use land cover and environmental factors on wildlife distribution for sport hunting activities in Lake Mburo Landscape, Uganda
No full textA dissertation submitted to the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Master of Science Environment and Natural Resources of Makerere UniversitySport hunting is a prominent tourism activity in Uganda, Southern and Eastern Africa region. It is dependent on iconic species like Buffalo, Eland, Impala, Zebra, and others. However, recent studies reveal fluctuating species populations due to land use land cover changes in and around wildlife protected areas. These patterns threaten habitat quality, species diversity and sport hunting. Limited studies have been conducted on land use land cover dynamics that have occurred in the areas with sport hunting, the effects of these dynamics on wildlife populations and sport hunting. Land use land cover changes were analysed over the last 10 years within Lake Mburo Landscape, assessed the effects of these land use land cover changes on wildlife distribution and the relationship between wildlife species distribution and sport hunting between 2010 and 2019. The study employed land use land cover classification, and species distribution modelling utilizing the general linear models to determine the effect of land use land cover and other environmental factors on wildlife species distribution. The data were subjected to correlation analysis to show the relationship between wildlife species distribution and sport hunting. Field-based KII and questionnaire data were used to triangulate the modelling results. There were significant changes in land use land cover. Built-up areas increased by 109.3%, cropland areas by 121.2%, and grasslands by 32.3% between 2010 and 2019. In contrast, woodlands decreased by 73.8%, and area of seasonal and permanent wetlands decreased by 23.3% and 17.6% respectively over the same period of time. Land use land cover, climate (maximum and minimum temperature, and precipitation) and topography (slope, altitude, and aspect) significantly influenced wildlife distribution (p< 0.05). Distribution of key wildlife species declined within the park and the hunting block between 2010 and 2019. However, sport hunting increased by 34.6% between 2010 and 2019. The findings indicate that the Lake Mburo landscape significantly changed with increase in built up, cropland & grassland and decrease in woodland and wetland areas over the 10-years study period. These land use land cover changes coupled with climatic and topographic factors have influenced the distribution of key wildlife species, which in the long run could affect sport hunting. The study therefore recommends that the sport hunting programme and land use policies be reviewed to: attain a balance between socio-economic development and human and wildlife conservation; diversify economic benefits from wildlife beyond sport hunting; and address issues of human-wildlife conflicts especially on private land within the Lake Mburo Landscape
An analysis of the effectiveness of the legal framework for conflict resolution in the east African community
No full textA dissertation submitted to the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Master of Laws of Makerere UniversityThe East African Community (EAC) has experienced some of the most severe conflicts on the African continent.1 The provisions in the Treaty for the establishment of the EAC, particularly Articles 5(1), 123(1), (2), (3)(b), and 124(1), which outline the obligations of member states to collaborate on defence and security to ensure peace, are vague and ambiguous, giving room for
varying interpretations by member states. This lack of clarity results in inconsistent implementation of security policies, hence weakening the EAC's ability to resolve conflicts effectively. This study analysed the effectiveness of the legal framework for conflict resolution in the East African Community (EAC). The study used doctrinal legal research methodology and a qualitative approach. The study found that the EAC’s legal framework for conflict resolution encourages diplomacy, cooperation, non-interference, and voting by consensus which often leads to a delay in the EAC's response to conflicts. The EAC’s mandate to maintain peace and security lacks clarity and success when compared with that of ECOWAS, leaving several lessons to learn. The study concluded that the lack of clear provisions for military intervention or peace enforcement restricts the EAC’s effectiveness in situations that demand urgent intervention. The study recommended that the EAC should amend the EAC Treaty to cure the ambiguity in the provisions relating to conflict resolution. Finally, the study also provided for further areas of research
Malnutrition a probable predictor of mortality in Cerebral Palsy (CP), and the effect of the positive deviance and parent facilitator training strategies to malnutrition among children and youth with CP in Eastern Uganda
No full textPhD ThesisIntroduction: A CP prevalence study in eastern Uganda implied high mortality among children with CP as they grow older, and malnutrition was allegedly among the contributors. Nonetheless, evidence is scarce and targeted community based nutritional interventions are limited. The studies in this thesis sought to test the predefined hypothesis, and evaluate the effectiveness of the positive deviance (PD), and parent facilitator training (PFT) interventions for malnutrition among children and youth (C&Y) with CP at the Iganga Mayuge Health and Demographic Surveillance Site (IMHDSS) in eastern Uganda.
Methods: Four sub-studies were conducted on a previously identified cohort of children with CP aged 2-17 years at recruitment in 2015. In sub-studies I and II, follow-up data from the cerebral palsy in Uganda study (CURIE) collected in 2015 and 2019 at the IMHDSS were used to assess whether malnutrition was one of the predictors of mortality, and to determine the four-year change in nutritional status of children with CP compared to non-CP peers. In sub-study III, a qualitative study design was used to identify the unique nutritional practices of caregivers of well-nourished children with CP (positive deviants), which were evaluated along with the parent facilitator trainings for effectiveness on malnutrition among C&Y with CP at the IMHDSS area using a 2x2 factorial trial design (Sub-study IV).
Main findings: The survival probability was significantly lower among children with severe malnutrition (log-rank test, p = 0.037). Growth was significantly slower in the CP group than that in the non-CP group over four years. The severity of motor impairments was negatively correlated with growth in CP (β=-1.37,95%CI =-2.67, 0.038). The caregivers of well-nourished children with CP (positive deviants) showed adaptive and responsive feeding practices, and positive coping mechanisms. C&Y with CP who received the PD intervention exhibited more significant weight gain than those who did not receive PD (adjusted coefficient=0.52, 95%CI 0.16,0.88, p=0.005). Children who received the PFT intervention showed significantly improved weight for age z-scores (adjusted coefficient=0.42, 95%CI -0.14,0.56, p=0.006), but not weight gain. The combination of the PD and PFT strategies improved the weight indices of C&Y with CP compared to providing the PFT intervention alone (adjusted coefficient=0.80, 95%CI (-1.24, -0.36), P<0.01) or not receiving any of the PD or PFT interventions (adjusted coefficient=0.77, 95%CI 0.22, 1.32, p=0.006).
Conclusion: This thesis provides evidence of high mortality among children with CP in eastern Uganda due to undernutrition and severe motor impairments. Integration of the PD-nutrition strategy into rehabilitation programs yields better nutritional outcomes and is thus warranted.Cerebral Palsy in Uganda Project, Makerere University School of Public Healt
Welfare Services and Students’ Satisfaction at Makerere University in Uganda: A Case Study of the College of Education and External Studies.
No full textA Dissertation Submitted to the directorate of research and graduate training in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Award of a Degree of Masters of Arts in Education Management of Makerere UniversityThis study examined the relationship between student welfare service quality and student satisfaction, underscoring the College of Education and External Studies, Makerere University. It was guided by objectives to examine the relationship between: i) accommodation services ii) health care services, and iii) chapel services and students' satisfaction. Using the quantitative research approach with a questionnaire survey on a sample of 302 students, data was collected and analysed both descriptively and inferentially. Results revealed that accommodation services (average mean=3.8), health care services (average mean=3.8), and chapel services (average mean=4.0675), were good since the mean value was above 3. Students' satisfaction was also good at an average mean=3.63. Inferentially, the relationships between accommodation, health care, chapel services and students' satisfaction was found to be positively significant, thus concluding that maintaining good accommodation services, health care services, and chapel services is critical for increasing students' satisfaction. The study recommends that Makerere University management especially the Dean of Students should continue to improve on accommodation, health care, and chapel services to increase student satisfaction. Furthermore, the study recommends that future researchers conduct a study that further investigates why health care services have a stronger impact on students' satisfaction among the three dimensions of students welfare services
Criminalization of homosexuality in Uganda: the law, courts, and public opinion
No full textA dissertation submitted to the School of Law in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of a Degree of Masters of Laws of Makerere UniversityCriminalizing of homosexuality has significant implications on the LGBTQ+ community. In Uganda where same sex relationships are not only stigmatized but also subjected to legal persecution, it creates a ripe ground for their marginalization. This research thesis seeks to investigate the law as it pertains to consensual same sex relationships, how courts interpret and apply the different laws and how relevant they are as far as the protection and promotion of LGBTQ+ rights goes. Although international human rights standards advocate for decriminalization and social inclusion, Uganda’s legal provisions on same sex relationships have reinforced negative legislative accommodation and public sentiment. Through a qualitative analysis of legislation, court cases and public opinion, the dissertation examines how legal mechanisms are employed to enforce moral norms and social order. The findings reveal a significant gap between the existence of human rights, its application in favor of the LGBTQ+ community and grass root perceptions of homosexuality, highlighting the role of culture and religion in shaping public attitudes. The dissertation argues that while the law on human rights advocates for protection and promotion of human rights, both the law and public sentiment reflect prevailing homophobic sentiments. Despite this, the dissertation espouses that courts serve as battlegrounds for human rights discourse, demonstrating their importance on the road towards legal and social inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community. Ultimately, this research underscores the need for nuanced understanding of the implications of criminalization, advocating for legal reform and increased awareness to foster a more inclusive society in Uganda
Epidemiology and economic impact of cystic echinococcosis in livestock among the pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in Uganda
No full textA thesis submitted to the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training for the award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy of Makerere UniversityA cross-sectional study was carried out in pastoral and agro-pastoral (PAP) areas to study epidemiology and economic impact of Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) in livestock in Uganda in the districts of Moroto representing pastoral areas in the Karamoja region, Kumi in the Teso region, and Luwero and Nakasongola in the Buganda region representing the agro-pastoral areas. No such studies were done before. Both qualitative and quantitative techniques were employed to gather data. Focus group discussions, key informant interviewers, structured questionnaire survey and postmortem examination of carcasses of cattle, goats and sheep in slaughter abattoirs were done. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise data into means and proportions at 95% confidence interval. Univariate logistic regression analysis was done to determine the significant factors responsible for occurrence of CE in livestock at p<0.05. Selected significant variables were used for developing a final multiple logistic regression prediction model. It was shown that farmers over the age of 36 (p<0.001) were more aware of CE in livestock, while the uneducated (p<0.0001) and being agro-pastoralist (p<0.01) were less knowledgeable. Overall, only 17.8% of respondents had knowledge about CE in livestock. While 83.2% of farmers owned roaming dogs that were never dewormed (92.1%) and shared water with livestock and humans. A total of 14,937 livestock (5,873 goats, 1,377 sheep, 3,726 zebu cattle, and 3,054 Ankole cattle) were examined in slaughter abattoirs. The overall livestock CE prevalence was found to be 21.9% in sheep, 15.2% in Zebu cattle, 5.5% in goats and 2.1% in Ankole cattle. Moroto district had a higher CE prevalence of 31.3% in Zebu cattle, 28% in sheep and 29.1% in goats. The lung was the most organ affected in all livestock species. The prevalence of CE by organ infected among livestock species in each district showed that in Moroto, lungs of: goats (27.7%), sheep (24%) and zebu cattle (20.3%) had cysts significantly higher than lungs of goats (0.6%), sheep (2.1%) and zebu cattle (0.8%) in Kumi; lungs of goats (0.5%), zebu cattle (0.9%), Ankole cattle (1.1%) in Luwero district and, lungs of Ankole cattle (1.6%) and of goats (0.2%) in Nakasongola district. Cyst infection in the livers was not reported in goats, sheep and zebu cattle in Nakasongola district. In Moroto district, the livers of zebu cattle (12.8%), sheep (5.3%) and goats (3.6%) were more infected than those of the same animals in Kumi and Luwero districts, and none in goats, sheep and zebu cattle in Nakasongola district and in sheep in Luwero district. Ankole cattle had almost similar prevalence in lungs in Luwero (1.1%) and Nakasongola (1.6%) compared to 0.8 and 1.6% in the liver respectively, and no cysts were recovered from Ankole cattle in Kumi and Moroto districts. Considering cyst fertility, 33.9, 1.7 and 6.4% of Ankole cattle, sheep and zebu cattle respectively had fertile cysts in the liver while 4.5% of goats and 4% Ankole cattle had fertile cysts in the lungs.
Tethering and origin of animals in goats in agropastoral areas, communal grazing in cattle and keeping large herds of sheep were the key risk factors towards CE persistence in livestock. The total economic cost of CE was USD 21,353.2 (1USD=3,809.3 UGX) among livestock slaughtered annually of which 88.3% were indirect economic losses associated with production losses caused by weight loss. Only 11.7 % were losses due to condemnation of offal organs. More significant CE mean economic cost due to CE per livestock species slaughtered and examined occurred in Moroto district among Zebu cattle (US 8.4), goats (US 1.4) and sheep (US 1.4). There was an urgent need to sensitise and educate the communities about public health and economic negative effects of CE, how it was maintained and transmitted by dogs to livestock and humans. Communities should be taught not to feed CE livestock infected organs, rejected offals and trimmed cysts to dogs. All dogs in PAP areas should be treated with anti-helminthics. The population of stray dogs should also be controlled. The findings of the economic losses caused by CE in this study using slaughter abattoirs, need to be extrapolated to the livestock populations of each district and regions based on slaughterable age to determine the real economic cost of CE in these place
The influence of linguistic landscape as a pedagogical resource on literacy development in primary schools in Lira City
No full textA dissertation submitted to the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training in partial fulfilment for the award of the Degree of Master of Arts in African Languages of Makerere UniversitySchools, as public places, are sites in which the discernible language(s) on signs tell(s) a lot about the discourse(s) in place. Educscapes1 (ES), therefore, reveal the circulating discourses in place within schools. However, little is yet known about the creation of these educscapes signage and the decision behind their creation. Among the grey areas surrounding signage found in school sites are the questions about the nature of signs, their authorship and the purpose(s) for their creation as well as how they are used in such environments. To answer these questions, I surveyed the educational sites of four schools in Lira City, that is, two government schools and two privately owned schools, to document their linguistic landscaping practices in literacy development of their learners, using questionnaires, interviews, observation and photography. I analysed the data using triangulation, informed by nexus analysis, which sheds light on the convergence of the historical body of teachers as social actors, who take the primary role in sign making; the interaction order in a panopticon setup, which provides the environment for placement and interaction with the signs, and the discourses in place, which act as ‘gates’ to literacy development. The findings show that linguistic landscaping in school sites (i.e., both government and privately owned schools) is used to develop learners’ oral language skills such as alphabetic principles, phonemic awareness, phonological and orthographic processing, numeracy skills, their symbolic competencies, pragmatic competencies, visual literacy skills, and their reading and writing skills. These findings confirm that linguistic landscaping offers positive affordances for the development of learners’ literacy skills in general and teachers should be aware of this and incorporate the use of linguistic landscaping in their lessons during their classroom interactions with learners. What remains unclear yet is what constraints linguistic landscaping has or may have on learners’ literacy development, if an