Mak IR Repository (Makerere University)
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Corruption and income inequality in selected East African community countries
No full textA dissertation submitted to the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Master of Arts in Economic Policy and Planning of Makerere UniversityHigh-income inequality persists in the East African Community (EAC) alongside significant levels of public sector corruption. Yet, a comprehensive understanding of how corruption drives inequality in this region remains limited. This study addresses this gap by examining the long run and short-run effects of public sector corruption on income inequality in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Drawing from the institutional theoretical framework, we employ a panel-ARDL model using data from 2000 to 2021. Our findings reveal a substantial positive association between public sector corruption and income inequality in the long run. This suggests that corruption exacerbates income disparities in these countries. Additionally, unemployment exhibits a positive association with inequality, while higher primary school enrolment shows a mitigating effect. Based on the study findings, policymakers in the EAC should prioritize combating public sector corruption to address rising inequality. The study underscores the urgency for comprehensive anti-corruption measures to promote a more equitable distribution of resources in the regio
Exploring financial literacy in commercial bank financing for small and medium enterprises in Uganda: a case study of Nakawa Division, Kampala
No full textA research report submitted to the College of Business and Management Science in partial fulfillment for the award of a Master’s Degree in Financial Services of Makerere UniversitySmall and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are crucial drivers of Uganda's economic growth, contributing significantly to GDP and employment. However, their growth is often hindered by limited access to commercial bank financing. This study examines the intersection of financial literacy and access to financing for SMEs in Nakawa Division, Kampala. Guided by Human Capital Theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior, this mixed-methods research assessed SME owners' financial literacy levels, strengths, and weaknesses, and explored the barriers to securing bank loans. Quantitative data was gathered from 50 SME owners, complemented by qualitative insights to deepen understanding.The findings revealed that while SME owners exhibit moderate confidence in foundational skills like budgeting and record-keeping, significant gaps exist in credit and risk management. Structural barriers such as high interest rates, stringent collateral requirements, and complex loan processes further constrain financing access. The study emphasizes the need for targeted financial literacy programs that combine practical training with collaborative learning, as well as SME-friendly financial policies to enhance accessibility. The findings underscore the dual importance of empowering SME owners through education and reforming banking practices to foster a more inclusive financial ecosystem, thereby contributing to sustainable economic development
Priority of tax claims during corporate insolvency in Uganda: a comparative study of the law and practice with UK and Australia
No full textA dissertation submitted to School of Law Makerere University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of a Master of Laws Degree of Makerere UniversityIn Uganda, tax claims are given priority of recovery over claims by the general body of unsecured creditors during corporate insolvency, contrary to the internationally benchmarked principle of pari passu.1A doctrinal research based on an assessment of Ronald Dworkin’s equality theory has concluded that pari passu should be the fundamental principle in the development of laws that impact the commissioner of tax’s ranking in the order of distribution during insolvency, since any preference accorded to tax claims lacks the necessary fairness and equity that decisions on the priority of distribution in insolvency requires. The study reveals that because of Uganda’s breach of the pari passu principle by preferring tax claims over other unsecured creditors during insolvency, it has yielded a poor investment climate, high costs of credit and bred a lazy tax collector. A comparative study of Uganda with the law and practice of Australia and the United Kingdom (hereinafter referred to as UK) in ranking tax claims during corporate insolvency, has yielded a recommendation for Uganda to adopt Australia’s route of total abolition of all tax priorities, instead of the UK’s partial abolition and secondary preference of indirect taxes. This is because UK’s route still breaches the pari passu principle, yet such indirect taxes can be recovered through alternative means that are statutorily provided to the commissioner of tax. The study further recommends that in case of total abolition of all tax priorities, the commissioner of tax’s collection tools should be boosted, and existing taxation laws should be revised in order to curb any indirect tax preferences likely to occur as the case is currently in Australia. It is hoped that the recommendations made by the study will go a long way in ensuring a stronger insolvency regime that treats all unsecured creditors in an equitable manner during insolvencies in Uganda
Impact of mixed cropping system and its contribution to mitigating crop raiding by large vertebrates around Bungoma Central Forest Reserve
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 in Environment and Natural Resources of Makerere UniversityHuman Wildlife Conflict remains a global challenge both to conservation and to the well-being of the local people living adjacent to wildlife conservation areas. The vulnerability levels of people in developing countries are higher compared to well-off inhabitants of developed nations. Continuous planting of traditional crops in a monoculture cropping system implies enhanced habituation of raiders to these crops. Therefore, it is plausible that cropping systems that do not provide optimal foraging capacity for raiders are less likely to be raided. This study assessed the Impact of mixed cropping system and its contribution to mitigating crop raiding by large vertebrates around Bugoma Central Forest reserve. An experiment was carried out to examine the effectiveness of different cropping systems in mitigating crop raiding by large vertebrates. Three experimental plots were laid along the forest boundary and treatments (homogenous of maize, homogenous of soya bean and a heterogeneous of maize and soya bean) were applied in these plots. Replication was carried out by nesting of the 17 subplots within each of the three main plots. Data was collected between the months of August and December 2020 on parameters of age of the crop, crop name, height of the crop, distance from the forest boundary, type of raid event, new stems raided, and raiding wildlife species. A zeroinflated Generalized Linear Mixed-Effects Model (GLMM) was fitted using the glmm TMB function in the MASS package, assuming a Poisson distribution of errors to examine the temporal patterns of raiding incidents. A survey was conducted and a questionnaire administered to 140 households to determine the preferred crop raiding mitigation methods by farmers around Bugoma Central Forest Reserve and factors influencing the choice of cropping system by farmers around Bugoma Central Forest Reserve. The study indicated that 100% of the respondents preferred guarding as their priority mitigation method. Marital status (married and single) significantly influenced the choice of practicing mono cropping system. The result showed maize mono crop was the most raided compared to the mixed crop of soya bean and maize. There was significant effect of distance from the forest boundary on the crop raiding incidents across all the cropping systems though more pronounced in the maize mono crop. The findings of this study will be used to mitigate crop raiding through encouraging farmers around protected areas to minimize planting of palatable crops such as maize in a mono cropping system hence enhancing co-existence between humans and wildlife
Technology orientation and export performance of SMES in Uganda
No full textA dissertation Submitted to the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management of Makerere UniversityThis study aims to assess the relationship between technology orientation and export performance. In particular, the study examined the moderating role of supply chain agility and knowledge absorptive capacity between technology orientation and export performance. This study is grounded in the resource-based view, social capital theory, and dynamic capabilities theory. Using the critical realism paradigm, the researcher adopted a correlational and cross-sectional research design using a questionnaire survey of 231 respondents. This was followed by a qualitative study where twelve participants were interviewed. Data was analysed using SPSS, AMOS and SMART PLS for the quantitative data and NVivo for the qualitative data. Results showed that technology orientation and export performance have a positive relationship. Supply chain agility and knowledge absorptive capacity moderate technology orientation and export performance. The researcher recommends that SMEs invest in the latest technology, do research, share new knowledge within the firm, and use it in the daily running of the business. The study implies that exporting SME firms should always invest in the latest technology know-how, communication and transport to gain a great competitive advantage over other players in the market. With the latest technology, they can produce high-quality goods that their customers desire. Efficiency and effectiveness will also be achieved because of new technologies. This will, in the end, boost their export sales and volumes
Aitururu (Sadness): variation of idioms of distress among the Iteso
No full textA thesis submitted to the School of Psychology in partial fulfilment of the requirements for a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology of Makerere UniversityDistress in local words, is often polysomic and dynamic, with continuous transformation due to historical and cultural processes. Aitururu, a term from the Iteso community in Uganda can be used to show how deep-seated the current idioms of distress are in their social-cultural practices. This research therefore sought to establish how the Iteso in Soroti District perceive, manifest and control Aitururu. This is a qualitative study that used purposive sampling to recruit participants within the communities of the Soroti Peri-urban area including Obuku cell, Pamba, Nakatunya and Soroti Hospital. In this study, 22 participants were involved and interviews in the form of in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions were used and data was analyzed thematically. The findings revealed four main themes related to Aitururu include: 1) Meanings the Iteso attach to Aitururu 2) Other idioms used to communicate distress; 4) Contexts where Aitururu is used, and 4) Intuitive Cultural expressions where the Aitururu might be used. The findings of each theme offered the gist of cultural and emotional appreciations, fears, sorrows and understandings among the Iteso people. At the end of the study, the author noted that it is only possible to comprehend Aitururu by possessing cultural competence and cultural sensitivity towards mental health intervention. Native methods of addressing mental health as well as traditional methods of addressing emotional problems within the community should be adopted in the modern style of treatment of outpatients in this community
Factors influencing relapse after successful detoxification or rehabilitation among patients with substance use disorders
No full textA dissertation submitted to the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of a Degree of Master of Statistics of Makerere UniversityThis study investigated the biological, social, clinical and psychological factors influencing relapse after successful detoxification or rehabilitation among patients with substance use disorders. Employing a retrospective study design, the study analyzed secondary data from 852 patients admitted to Butabika National Referral Hospital with alcohol and drug use disorders between January 2022 and June 2022. Data extracted from patient files, retrieved from the records department, constituted the dataset for examination. Frequency distributions were conducted for each independent variable, followed by Chi-square test and t-test statistics to explore associations with relapse. Logistic regression was applied to investigate potential factors associated with relapse. The findings showed that 79.1% (95%CI: 60.2, 80.4) of the patients relapsed. Noteworthy factors associated with relapse included; family history of drug abuse, administration of antidepressants and the type of patient management (inpatient or outpatient). Patients with a family history of drug use disorder had about twice the odds of relapse than those without such a history (OR= 1.74; 95%CI: 1.11, 2.71). Outpatients had 50% higher odds of relapsing as compared to inpatients (OR= 1.55; 95%CI: 1.09, 2.21). Further, patients who did not receive antidepressants had about twice the odds of relapse than those given the antidepressants (OR= 2.45; 95%CI: 1.12, 5.14). Results showed significant interactions between receiving antidepressants and type of patient management (outpatient vs. inpatient), receiving antidepressants and family history of substance use, and type of patient management and family history of drug use. Patients managed as outpatients and not given antidepressants had 2.9 higher odds of relapse compared to in-patients managed with antidepressants (OR= 2.90; 95%CI: 1.56, 5.36). Similarly, outpatients with a family history of drug abuse had 2.5 times the odds of relapse as compared to in-patients without family history of drug use (OR= 2.50; 95%CI: 1.33, 4.70). Furthermore, patients who were not given antidepressants and had a family history of drug abuse had almost three times odds of relapse compared to patients given antidepressants and had no family history of drug abuse (OR= 2.75; 95%CI: 1.45, 5.21). The study recommends intensified attention to patients with a family history of drug use, advocates for inpatient care for individuals with substance use disorders, and suggests judicious administration of antidepressants for effective drug use disorder management
Financial inclusion, human capital development, infrastructure investment and economic development in Uganda
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 Business Administration, Makerere University.This research aimed at investigating the impact of financial inclusion, human capital development, and infrastructure investment on economic development in Uganda. The study focused on assessing the impact of financial inclusion on economic development in Uganda, evaluating the effect of human capital development on economic development in Uganda and to examining the contribution of infrastructure investment on economic development in Uganda. The study employed a correlational research design research with a quantitative study approach which involved collecting secondary data from 2004-2023 from world development indicators. Data was analyzed using the statistical package for social science (SSPS Version 27). The study revealed that Financial inclusion composed of financial knowledge, usage and access, infrastructure investment and human capital development affects Economic development in Uganda. Financial knowledge, with a significant positive effect, underscores the importance of enhancing financial literacy to boost economic outcomes. Improving financial access is crucial, as it strongly impacts economic growth by broadening access to essential financial services. Although financial usage has a smaller effect, promoting its effective use still contributes to economic advancement. Human capital development emerges as the most impactful factor, emphasizing the need for investment in education and skills training to drive economic progress. Additionally, infrastructure investment, while less influential, remains important for supporting economic activities. Overall, a comprehensive strategy that integrates these elements is essential for fostering sustained economic development in Uganda. Therefore, the study recommends that governments should expand microfinance programs in underserved areas to improve access to financial services and economic stability. It also recommends targeted educational programs for low-income households, women, and youth to enhance financial literacy. Governments should boost budgets for education and health sectors to improve human capital and align education and health services with labor market needs. Additionally, investments in essential infrastructure, such as water supply, sanitation, electricity, and transportation, are crucial for economic growth and improved living standards. The study is limited to Uganda's financial inclusion, human capital development and infrastructure development, uses secondary data from 2004-202
Assessment of conformity with regulatory requirements of cold chain storage of medicines in private pharmacies in Kampala, Uganda
No full textBackground:
Pharmaceutical products are required to be stored under predetermined conditions of temperature and relative humidity in order to preserve their integrity, quality, safety and efficacy. Cold chain products are those whose safe handling is recommended within low temperature range usually between 2°C to 8°C. Evidence from studies conducted in different countries indicates inadequacies in adherence to regulatory requirements during the management of cold chain pharmaceutical products. Little is documented about adherence of Private-for-profit Pharmacies in Uganda to standard guidelines in provision of quality cold chain products. This study was therefore aimed at assessing medicines cold chain storage conformity with the regulatory requirements in private-for-profit pharmacies of Kampala city.
Methods:
A facility based cross-sectional study design was employed in Private-for-profit Pharmacies that handle cold chain medicines in Kampala city between June and July 2022. Face to face interviews using semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect quantitative data while key Informant interviews were used to collect qualitative data using a Key informant guide in the same time period. Quantitative data was analysed using STATA version14. Content analysis of qualitative data was transcribed in Microsoft word and organized in a meaningful and systematic way and analysed manually.
Results:
Out of the 60 pharmacies that were analysed, only 20 pharmacies had good adherence to WHO or NDA cold chain management guidelines for supplying temperature sensitive medicines. The adherence rate was therefore 33.33%. After adjusting for confounders and other factors, adherence rate was 4.4 higher among the pharmacies where the profession of the staff was pharmaceutical scientist (Pharmacist, pharmacy tech, Drug dispenser) as compared to those where the staff was medical attendant (APR=4.4, 95% CI: 1.9-6.8, P=0.016). The adherence was 5.6 times among the pharmacies with staff who had experience of over 3 years as compared to those with less than one year (APR=5.6, 95% CI: 2.2-7.5, P=0.011). Pharmacies whose staff had attended a training on storage, distribution and handling procedures of cold chain medicines had adherence rate that was 5.5 times higher compared to those whose staff were not trained (APR=5.5, 95% CI: 2.5-8.9, P=0.0001). Pharmacies that were using pharmaceutical grade had adherence rate that was 4.1 times higher compared to those using domestic grade (APR=4.1, 95% CI: 1.9-6.8, P=0.012). Private pharmacy players were knowledgeable about the cold chain management and when asked to comment about the current adherence of pharmacies to cold chain management, the private pharmacy players acknowledged that adherence was low. The factors that affect adherence to cold chain management guidelines as expressed by the private players included inadequate equipment, lack of training as well as power blackouts for long time. The main challenges that affected pharmacies’ adherence to cold chain management included multi-tasking of staff working in pharmacy dispensing and monitoring at the same time and lack of training.
Conclusion:
From the findings of this study, it can be concluded that medicines cold chain storage conformity with the regulatory requirements in private pharmacies in Kampala, Uganda was low, 33.3%. The main factors associated with low adherence included absence of appropriately qualified professionals, inadequate experience and lack of training of technical persons, inappropriate equipment and accessories used. Although there were inadequate number of staff in pharmacies, the health workers in the pharmacies were found to be knowledgeable about good cold chain management practices and agreed that guidelines in place were sufficient
Gender, wellbeing and internet gaming among adolescents in Kampala District.
No full textA dissertation submitted to the School of Psychology in partial fulfilment of requirements for the award of a Master’s Degree of Science in Clinical Psychology of Makerere UniversityThe increasing prevalence of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) among adolescents underscores the necessity for a comprehensive investigation into its effects on well-being and how these effects may differ by gender. This study aimed to explore the association between gender, well-being, and IGD among adolescents. A quantitative research method was employed, utilizing a correlational study design to examine the relationships among these variables. Standardized instruments, including the Mental Health Continuum Short Form and the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short Form (IGDS9-SF), were used to collect data from 100 randomly selected male and female participants. A bio-data form was also utilized to identify gender. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 21. The results indicated that only 8% of the population met the criteria for IGD symptoms. A significant relationship was found between gender and well-being (t(98) = 2.133, p 0.05), nor between IGD and well-being (r(98) = -0.094, p > 0.05). Furthermore, no significant difference in well-being was observed between adolescents with IGD and those without (t(98) = -1.401, p > 0.05). Males exhibited higher well-being scores compared to females, which may be attributed to various factors such as cultural norms and the social aspects of gaming that foster connections and friendships, potentially enhancing overall well-being. Given that 54% of students engaged in internet gaming, it is imperative for government and relevant stakeholders to implement educational and intervention programs in schools aimed at addressing IGD and promoting adolescent well-being