Three Decades of Orthodox Approaches to Administrative Reform in Africa: The Ugandan Experience

Abstract

Administrative reform has become an ever present slogan of modern life. Developing countries, Uganda inclusive, have often looked abroad for ideas about how to reform sometimes under duress but often quite willingly. However these processes have often been disastrous. Yet, no one seems to possess a coherent explanation as to why they should fail with such predictable regularity. In this paper, I use case examples in Uganda’s administrative reform to establish why orthodox approaches to administrative reforms in Africa fail. Specifically, I assess theoretical propositions for why orthodox administrative reforms fail; evaluate the trends of administrative reform in Uganda; and suggest major considerations for administrative reform in Africa. Naturally, the study is intended to contribute to the current debate on the applicability of orthodox approaches to administration in African countries. It is hoped that the study will encourage the process of reflection and the search for optimal administration strategies and approaches based on local conditions and tools.