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A process-driven framework to analyze and measure technical debt (td) in software start-ups
No full textA dissertation submitted to the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training for the award of the Degree of Master of Science in Data Communications and Software Engineering Makerere University, Kampala.Software start-ups are young companies that aim to develop and deliver their products on the market quickly with the few resources they have. These start-ups have been characterized as companies that work under harsh conditions and tight competition from similar software start-ups and established software companies for stiff market share. Software start-ups always use various ad hoc software development processes and practices to develop their products. During their product development process, they incur many shortcuts and compromises to catch up with time and fewer resources to hit the market notch. The accumulation of these shortcuts and compromises made during the product development process is referred to as "Technical Debt (TD)" which can result in increased complexity, reduced maintainability, and hindered software quality of these software startups. Objective: In this research study, we aimed to explore technical debt in software development processes and practices used by start-ups. Our objective was to design and evaluate a process-driven framework to analyze and measure technical debt (TD) in start-up software development practices. Methodology: We conducted an explanatory empirical case study using a mixed-methods research approach guided by in-depth semi-structured interviews from 16 software start-ups in hubs and four(4) start-ups outside hubs in Kampala - Uganda on TD in their software development processes. We conducted an online survey of 34 software start-ups that evaluated and validated the measurements of technical debt in software development processes used by start-ups. Results: We found 10 software development processes with technical debt. We identified a total of 27 practices that lead to technical debt in software development processes used by start-ups. The software development processes found with their identified technical debt practices were mapped to the standard software development life cycle (SDLC) to represent technical debt in software start-ups. A total of 20 measurements for technical debt in software start-ups emerged from the study. These measurements were evaluated and validated by software start-ups. 18/20 technical debt measurements passed the set precedence and were mapped to the technical debt representation in start-ups to develop a process-driven framework that analyses and measures technical debt in software start-ups. Contribution: This empirical study contributes to 1) the knowledge of technical debt and its measurements in software start-up development processes, 2) a new perspective on the representation of technical debt in software start-ups, and 3) a framework that software start-ups can bench-mark on to manage and control technical debt in their software idevelopment processes and inform further research. Suggested Future work: Our findings can be used to investigate why software start-ups tend to incur more technical debt practices as they grow from early stage to maturity. We suggest future work to explore and conduct a comparative analysis with similar frameworks for both software start-ups and mature software organizations of technical debt in software development processes
Assessment of the impact of public investment in human capital development on economic growth 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 Master of Arts Degree in Economic Policy and Management of Makerere UniversityThe purpose of the study is to perform a time series analysis to determine the impact of investment in human capital on Economic growth in Uganda from 1990 to 2022. Data used was got from the World Development Indicators (WDI) the study is guided by three objectives, to determine the impact of investment in Health on economic growth in Uganda, to assess the impact of investment in education on economic growth in Uganda; To determine the Impact of external health funding on economic growth in Uganda. To ensure reliability of the data in estimating the models, the unit too test was done using Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF), and the time series was found to be stationary. The data was not serially correlated, multi collinearity was not severe and the series were normally distributed making it reliable to guide decisions. The findings show that there is a weak positive relationship between the GDP spent on health and the annual GDP growth in Uganda (r=0.161). the study further found that there is a weak positive relationship between the GDP spent on education and the annual GDP growth in Uganda (r=0.111), there was a weak negative relationship between the external health funding and the annual GDP growth in Uganda (r = -0.315). The study found that there a moderate negative relation between unemployment and GDP growth (r=-0.4). the study found a moderate positive relationship between inflation and GDP growth (r=0.52). The study concluded that investment in heath positively impacts on economic growth of any country, the investment in education positively impacts on economic growth of any country, external funding to health negatively impacts on economic growth of any country. The study recommended that the ministry of finance should prioritize investment in health as a strategy to improve the quality of its human capital and hence its productivity and GDP growth; the ministry of finance should prioritize investment in education as a strategy to improve the quality of its human capital through skilling and hence its improved innovation and productivity resulting into GDP growth. There should be reduced external borrowing if the economy is to gro
Assessment of operational risk practices and fraud management among commercial banks in Uganda: a case study of Centenary Bank
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 Business Administration of Makerere UniversityThis report aimed at examining relationship between operational risk practices and fraud management among commercial banks in Uganda. The study was premised on three objectives; to establish the different operational risk practices used by Commercial bank in Uganda, to examine the fraud management strategies used by Commercial banks in Uganda, to establish the relationship between operational risk practices and fraud management among commercial banks in Uganda.
The study employed a cross-sectional and descriptive research with a mixed study approach which involved collecting numerical data from 86 respondents and interviewing 5 key informants. Quantitative Data was analyzed using the statistical package for social science (SSPS Version 27) while qualitative Data was analyzed using Atlas ti (version 9).
The study found that Commercial banks exhibits both strengths and weaknesses across its operational risk practices and fraud management strategies. In Operational Risk Identification, the bank excels at identifying risks related to people and internal systems, with a high mean score of 4.67 (SD = 0.38), and is notably effective in using key risk indicator tools, scoring 3.87 (SD = 1.04). However, it falls short in utilizing risk mapping and self-assessment tools, with low mean scores of 2.36 (SD = 1.27) and 2.58 (SD = 1.50), respectively. For Operational Risk Assessment and Analysis, the bank demonstrates strong use of qualitative methods and prioritization of risks, with mean scores of 4.00 (SD = 0.82) and 4.12 (SD = 1.42), though its contingency planning and quantitative assessment methods are weaker, reflected by scores of 2.83 (SD = 1.47) and 3.27 (SD = 1.04). In Fraud Management, the bank effectively conducts regular fraud risk assessments, scoring a mean of 4.21 (SD = 1.03), and employs anti-fraud technologies well, with a high mean of 4.67 (SD = 1.26). Conversely, its fraud management policies and procedures are less effective, with a mean score of 2.86 (SD = 0.79), and while its fraud detection mechanisms are robust, its whistleblowing mechanisms are less effective, scoring 2.87 (SD = 1.35).
Recommendations were; Commercial banks should enhance fraud and operational risk management by updating policies, empowering employees, and setting up confidential fraud reporting systems. Strengthening risk evaluation and investing in robust risk management committees will help minimize operational losses and ensure regulatory compliance. Further research should focus on analyzing operational risk management and fraud practices across various branches, other banks and conducting longitudinal studies for a deeper understanding
A critical analysis of the constitutionality of the anti-pornography act 2014
No full textA dissertation submitted to the School of Law in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Master of Laws of Makerere UniversityA growing new anti-pornography movement has arisen in reaction to the ready availability of pornography offline and on the Internet. It includes both traditional social conservatives, who still complain that pornography damages the moral tone of society, corrupts immature minds, and could lead to sexual assault and other violence against women, and feminists who still complain that some pornography furthers the subordination of women. These are serious claims that, while contested, deserve to be taken seriously. Just as some who drink or gamble come to have a serious problem and need help, the same may be true for some viewers of pornography offline and on the Internet. Just as with alcohol and gambling, we may need to educate potential users about pornography’s possible harms and provide help for those having difficulty with its use. But many, if not most, of those in the anti-pornography movement also urge stricter legal prohibitions on “obscene” materials, even when viewed in private homes, and greater enforcement of existing laws, or both. This thesis draws three lessons from history that demonstrate that these proposals are unsound and should not be adopted. First, pornography is difficult, if not impossible, to define satisfactorily under basic constitutional principles. At most, it can be imprecisely limited to the illdefined concept of “hard core” pornography, which might reach some of the online material criticized, but certainly not all of it. In particular, the definition in the APA 2014 that was declared unconstitutional does not come close to reaching the materials that allegedly corrupt the moral tone of society, the health of relationships and family life, and the status of women. Second, the history of Prohibition demonstrates the almost intractable difficulties of using legal coercion to deprive large segments of society of goods that they desire on moral grounds that they do not share. Censorship is another form of prohibition, which also has proved difficult to enforce even in authoritarian countries. Censorship of the Internet is especially difficult in free countries, although modern technologies are increasingly enabling authoritarian countries to control what their citizens view online. Third, any broader definition of pornography would be inconsistent with basic constitutional principles and could not be limited to sexually explicit materials in any principled way. It could easily pave the way for a radical curtailment of free expression across the board. What is more, enforcing such a sweeping suppression on what even adults may do in the privacy of their homes would be impossible if Uganda is to remain a free country. The thesis of this dissertation is simple. Even if pornography has all the ill effects that its critics assert, the appropriate remedy in this liberal democracy cannot be censorship. The remedy for this speech is more speech, not legal repression. In critically analysing the constitutionality of the APA 2014, the thesis explored the relevant international and national legal frameworks on regulation of pornography. The study further employed a comparative approach using regulatory frameworks from four countries with the objective of sharing lessons for policy and legal reforms
Kyapa mu Ngalo and the land question: understanding the politics and dynamics of land reform in Uganda
No full textThesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of a Degree of Doctor of Philosophy of Makerere UniversityTaking Buganda kingdom’s Kyapa mu Ngalo program and the central government’s calls to abolish Mailo land tenure as entry points, this thesis interrogates the contemporary land question in Buganda by tracing its historical development. It contends with existing explanations that attribute the question to cultural nationalism and neopatrimonialism to argue that the land question in [B]Uganda is rooted in the historical and political economy contexts within which it has materialized. Deploying interdisciplinary approaches while foregrounding heterodox political economy, the thesis analyzes the colonial and postcolonial framing of - and responses to - the land question in [B]Uganda and the material conditions within which peasant subjects have subsisted to show how land reforms and ‘development’ initiatives have historically marginalized, subjectified, alienated and dispossessed the peasant society. To illustrate this argument, the thesis summons oral, archival and library sources to explores the ways in which the colonial epistemological, political and economic transformations displaced precolonial land relations in ways that produced and reproduced colonial state power and consolidated the colonial capitalist economy. The colonial and capitalist processes of depoliticization, commodification and privatization of land resulted into dispossessions, alienations, displacements and evictions of peasants. The thesis further highlights how the postcolonial states’ attempts at (re)framing and responding to the land question have innovatively reified the colonial and capitalist logics in ways that have intensified land problems. Reflecting an enduring process of capitalist incorporation, the Buganda land question has been worsened by the growing influence of neoliberalism and the structural power of (finance) capital, rendering it a state-market affair with the exclusion of society in ways that depoliticize and weaponize the peasants to achieve political legitimacy and sustain capitalist accumulation. Contrary to their stated objective of addressing the land question, the postcolonial land reforms, and the political and discursive contest between the central government and Buganda kingdom, have instead exacerbated the peasant subject condition. Lastly, the thesis recenters the peasants by engaging discourses that emerge from society as a decolonial move to imagine conditions of possibility for peasant emancipation. I think with the society’s discourse of Ettaka Nyaffe as mirroring possible alternative modes of socio-economic organization. In doing so, the thesis foregrounds the multiple and complex forms of land use, values and meanings that the society has embraced historically as an epistemological counter to the neoliberal market-oriented conception of the land question, one that fortifies colonial and neoliberal capitalist principles
Isoniazid hair drug levels among drug-susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis patients: A study to monitor exposure, adherence and treatment outcomes
No full textA thesis to be submitted to the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training in fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Pharmacology) of the Makerere University.Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is still a major public health problem globally and in Uganda.Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) for TB improves treatment outcomes and mitigates the emergence of drug resistance (DR). Despite the availability of drugs; poor adherence and attainment of suboptimal drug levels are major barriers to successful treatment outcomes, especially in sub-Saharan African countries with limited resources. Limitations to adherence may be overcome by directly observed therapy (DOT), and plasma drug levels can shed light on adherence and exposure but have limitations. Assays of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs in hair are the strongest independent predictor of virologic response in HIV-infected patients. This ARV and MDR TB hair drug level relationship could be extrapolated to first-line anti-TB drugs to monitor adherence, exposure, and treatment outcomes. Currently, there is limited data on first-line TB drug levels in hair as a tool to monitor adherence and treatment outcomes
of TB patients. Main Objective: To assess Isoniazid hair drug levels among drug-susceptible pulmonary TB patients as a tool to monitor exposure, adherence, and treatment outcomes. Methods: This was a mixed design of qualitative, cross-sectional, and cohort studies of confirmed TB patients being treated with the fixed-dose combination of Isoniazid, Rifampin, Pyrazinamide, and Ethambutol (2ERHZ/4RH). The study was conducted in a framework of four sub-studies: Sub-study 1 determined the acceptability of hair harvest as a method of therapeutic drug monitoring among TB patients using a qualitative(phenomenological) design of indepth interviews, Sub-study 2 that used Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LCMS) to determine how hair drug levels relate to plasma drug levels at the time points of weeks: 4, 8, and 26 of adherence, Sub-study 3 that used LCMS to determine the hair drug level at which TB sputum culture conversion at the end of the intensive phase of TB treatment(8 weeks), and Sub-study 4 that used LCMS to determine how smoking, alcohol, age, and weight affect hair drug levels. Results: For Sub-study 1, there were two key findings. Key finding 1 was that hair harvest for medical testing is acceptable to the majority of TB patients provided it is harvested by a medical worker. Key finding 2 was that overall, the older age group aged at least 30 years or more is flexible when it comes to harvesting hair for medical testing using a razorblade, scissors, or modern hair-cutting machine. Many younger people; aged<30 years prefer the modern hair-cutting machine compared to razorblade or scissors. For Sub-study 2 overall, the mean ratio of hair to plasma Isoniazid hair drug levels at the week 4-time point was 1.66(SD=2.95), (95%CI: 0.55-2.76). For Sub-study 3, TB patients who archived median hair drug level of at least 0.05ng/mL (IQR: 0.1165 - 0.0314) at the end of the intensive phase of treatment (8 weeks) with first-line anti-TB drugs converted their sputum cultures to negative. For Sub-study 4, we observed no difference in Isoniazid hair drug levels per TB patient physiological and demographic factors (age, gender, and weight), smoking, and alcohol consumption on univariate and multivariate analysis. Conclusion Hair harvest for medical testing is acceptable on the condition that it is harvested by a medical worker. Tuberculosis patients aged at least 30 years are flexible on the method of hair harvest for medical testing. Patients aged below 30 years are less flexible about the preferred
method of hair harvest for therapeutic drug monitoring. Isoniazid hair drug levels have a cumulative effect in hair compared to plasma. Isoniazid hair drug levels may be a predictor of TB sputum culture conversion at the end of the intensive phase. TB patient physiological factors weight, and height), smoking, and alcohol use don’t impact Isoniazid hair drug levels
during TB treatment.MaK-RIF
SANTH
Iodine status and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care at four selected health facilities in Kasese District
No full textBackground: Pregnancy increases the iodine dietary requirements to meet the needs of the
mother and the baby. Both iodine deficiency and excessive iodine are known to cause fetal
and maternal thyroid disease. Uganda lacks data on the current iodine nutrition of pregnant
women. This study assessed the iodine nutrition of pregnant women attending antenatal care
at selected health units in Kasese district.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study among 500 pregnant women attending antenatal
care in Kasese district. Participants were randomly selected from four randomly selected
health units. Socio-demographic, obstetric and Knowledge, Attitude and practice (KAP) data
were collected using medical forms and semi structured questionnaires. Urine iodine
concentration (UIC) was measured using the Sandell-Kolthoff method. The WHO cut offs for
UIC categorization was used to classify the UIC. The modified Poisson model was run to
determine the factors associated with the low.
Results: Among 473 pregnant women attending antenatal care at the health units, the median
UIC was 73.3mcg/dl (Interquartile range (IQR) 32.0,149.7 mcg/dl), indicating inadequate
iodine intake. 73.6 % of the pregnant women had a low UIC of < 150mcg/dl (95% CI:
62.5,82.3%). The difference in median UIC among the four health units was not statistically
significant (χ² (3) = 4.03, p = 0.26; χ² (3) with ties = 7.2, p = 0.07). Taking alcohol was
associated with a high prevalence of low UIC (aPR= 1.2 95% CI: 1.1- 1.4, p value 0.01).
Being employed was associated with higher prevalence compared to being unemployed
(aPR= 1.1 95% CI:1.0-1.1, p value 0.06).
Conclusions: The pregnant women in Kasese district had Inadequate iodine nutrition.
Government should prioritize to monitor pregnant women’s iodine nutritio
Resilience, self-esteem, alcohol use among secondary schools adolescents in Mbale District
No full textA dissertation submitted to the School of Psychology in partial fulfillment for award of a Master Degree of Arts in Counselling of Makerere University.The study investigated the relationships between Resilience, Self-esteem and Alcohol use among secondary school adolescents in Mbale District. The study had the following objectives, to explore the relationship between resilience and alcohol use among adolescents in secondary school in Mbale district, to examine the relationship between resilience and self-esteem among adolescents in secondary school in Mbale district, to examine the relationship between self-esteem and alcohol use adolescents and to establish whether self-esteem is the mediating variable between resilience and alcohol use. The study analyzed literature on alcohol use, resilience, and self-esteem in secondary schools from 2013-2021, utilizing various sources including printed books, online articles, journals, and library materials. The study used a quantitative technique and correlational design to investigate the associations between resilience, self-esteem, and alcohol use among secondary school adolescents in Mbale district. The study involved 200 participants from two schools. The sample size was calculated using Krejcie and Morgan's 1970 table. The study found no significant relationship between resilience and self-esteem linked to alcohol use rejecting the alternative hypothesis. The second hypothesis suggested a significant relationship between resilience and self-esteem. The study revealed no significant relationship between self-esteem and alcohol use, rejecting the alternative hypothesis due to the significant level of the p value. The study found a negative correlation between resilience and alcohol use among adolescents, contrasting previous research suggesting resilience affects coping with tension. Resilience is influenced by cultural context, peer pressure, and personal life style
Lok Dog Acoli (Oral Literature and Tradition of the Acoli)
No full textLok Dog Acoli (2024), loosely translated as Oral Literature and Tradition of the Acoli, covers the fundamentals of Acoli oral literature and tradition. It presents the oral means of passing information and knowledge from one generation to the next. The book does not only provide the literature dimension of the Acoli orality, but it also explains concepts related to the norms, beliefs, attitudes of the people to life and their spirituality. Oral poetry, proverbs, riddles, folktales, myths and legends, which contribute different chapters of this book, are windows through which a people’s culture can be peered into. The book has five chapters, which are summarised below.
Chapter One describes Oral Poetry, showing how different kinds of traditional practices are rendered at the family shrine or in an open space dance arena. This includes the rendition of traditional hunting expedition, traditional dances, celebrating newly acquired property (blessings), and curse and its reversal rites. Through these practices, we can discern man’s fear for the scary unknown that threatens his life and wellbeing. It is this fear that drives man to seek the intervention of their ancestors and the Creator in times of dire needs.
Chapter Two is about Riddles, comprising the explanation of what a riddle is in the literature and sociohistorical perspective, its rendition and significance in the promotion and preservation of Acoli culture and tradition. For example, riddles are crucial elements in developing language competence in children, helping them to know what is in their environment, their culture and be able to verbally communicate them. The chapter also contains 110 well-explained riddles.
Chapter Three presents Acoli Proverbs as a tool for recording the philosophy of the Acoli people and as a means for using the philosophy in a communicative purpose to wisely suppress vice and evils in the community. The book explains what a proverb is, interprets it, its rendition and the situation of usage. Proverbs cover a wide range of human experience, which include wisdom, communality, cautious situation, and others, within which 190 proverbs are recoreded.
Chapter Four comprises Oral Narratives, which involves folk tales, myths and legends. They talk about old stories that can be real or mythical. It also explains the rendition of folk tales. Folktales are presented as a way of entertainment, but as an essential source of moral lessons to children and adults alike. They provide checklists for our daily conduct.
Chapter Five, which is on Tongue Twisters, is a very short one. It is about tongue twisters, their importance and how they are articulated. It is a linguistic practice that enables young children to easily learn the vocabulary and articulate the sounds of the language accurately
Influence of socio-psychological factors on smallholder farmers’ investment behaviour in seed potato production : a case of seed potato producer typologies in South-Western Uganda
No full textA dissertation submitted to the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training for the award of Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural
and Rural Innovations of Makerere University.Limited access to low-cost quality seed potato is a major production and productivity-reducing constraint for smallholder potato farmers in developing countries. Whereas smallholder farmers' investment in farmer-based seed potato production can ensure increased production and access to low-cost good-quality seed potato to potato farmers, the investment level of farmers in seed potato production remains low in Uganda, despite the higher returns associated with seed potato production. The low investment has mainly been explained by economic factors and less attention has been paid to socio-psychological factors in understanding farmer investment behaviour. This study examined how smallholder farmers' socio-psychological contexts influence their investment behaviour in seed potato production. Specifically, the study;(1) characterized smallholder seed potato producers and their production constraints; (2) established farmers' perception about investing in seed potato production; (3) assessed the factors influencing smallholder farmers' decisions and level of investment in seed potato production and (4) determined economic viability and stability of investing in seed potato production. The study was conducted in Kabale and Kanungu districts in South-Western Uganda and involved both seed and ware potato smallholder farmers. Mixed methods design combining surveys, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews were used. Principle component and cluster analysis were used to identify and cluster farm typologies, a double hurdle model was used to study the factors influencing farmer investment decisions and level of investment in seed potato production while Net present value, Returns on investment, Break even and Scenario analysis were employed to study viability and stability of farmer investment in seed potato production. This study found that smallholder farmers exist under four typologies: 1) the 'middle-aged female seed multipliers of moderate psychological capital and low investment level; 2) old-aged seed recyclers of high psychological capital and low investment level; 3) the 'young male seed recyclers of moderate psychological capital and high investment level and 4); young male seed multipliers of high psychological capital and the highest investment level'. Production in the 4 typologies was constrained by identical and typology-specific factors; the major ones being; land shortage, limited access to markets, credit facilities, and seed storage facilities. Farmers perceived investing in seed potato production as beneficial with a ready market, high prices, and high returns on investment. However, it was also perceived as a costly venture requiring more inputs, capital, and technical knowledge. The findings reveal that, only 44% of the potato farmers had invested in seed potato production. Further, the results revealed that, institutional factors (training, membership to a producer group &selling price) largely influenced farmers' decision to invest. In contrast, socio–economic factors (land size, expected revenue, sex of the farmer and farming experiences) significantly influenced farmers' level of investment in seed potato production. Similarly, psychological factors (social influence, optimism, resilience, loss aversion) affected both the decision and level of investment in seed potato production. Farmers' investment in seed potato production was found viable and stable even amidst market uncertainties but the viability and stability differed between districts and across typologies. These results lead to the conclusion that while the decision to invest is largely an individual farmer's psychological state that thrives by one's knowledge about the enterprise and observation of peer activities about seed potato production, the level of investment is largely due to ownership of the necessary production assets (land, finance , know-how) and the cognitive readiness to invest. Therefore, interventions that enhance farmers' cognitive readiness to invest in seedpotato production, such as the installation of producer-level storage facilities on farmland and a tailored extension of financial services and training are recommended . Given that socio-psychological factors remain critical in farmer investment decisions, the study also recommends the utility of socio-psychological theories in studies investigating investment behaviour, especially in the context of smallholder farmers to be intensified. This work underscore the role of typing farmers for better targeting of interventions and the use of both behavioural & economic models for comprehensive understanding of farmer investment behaviour. The study contributes to the body of knowledge by unravelling seed potato producer typologies existing among seed potato producers. It also introduces psychological factors in typology differentiation and in modelling investment behaviour of farmers. Further, the study contributes to the scanty knowledge on viability and stability of smallholder farmer investments in seed production