Governance and Rural Livelihoods: Experiences From Southwestern Uganda
Betty Claire Mubangizi 
& Abel Nzabona
Issue: Vol.6 No.8 Article 16 pp. 1480 – 1494
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256816 | Published online 11th July, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Governance plays a critical role in shaping rural development outcomes, acting both as an enabler and a constraint to sustainable livelihoods. Although rural development research in Uganda has focused mainly on financial input, less attention has been paid to institutional and governance dynamics that determine how resources are mobilised, allocated, and translated into tangible benefits for rural communities. This study contributes to the rural livelihood discourse by examining the governance structures and practices in the southwestern districts of Isingiro and Kisoro through a qualitative approach involving 34 Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and four Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). Guided by Institutional Theory and Network Governance Theory, the study reveals that although governance frameworks, such as those set out in Uganda’s Local Government Act of 1997, formally empower sub-national units to engage in planning, budgeting, and service delivery, their implementation is significantly hindered by institutional capacity constraints, centralised fiscal control, and political interference. The findings also highlight the importance of informal governance mechanisms, such as the locally respected “L.C. Zero” structures, which operate outside the formal state architecture yet play a vital role in community-level decision-making and accountability. These insights underscore the need for governance reforms that strengthen institutional capacity, promote locally grounded accountability mechanisms, and foster collaborative networks between state and non-state actors to support resilient and inclusive rural development.
Keywords: Decentralised Governance; Institutional Capacity; Rural Livelihoods; Uganda
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Prof. Betty Claire Mubangizi holds a Doctor of Public Administration and is a full Professor in Public Administration. Recognised as a rated and established researcher by South Africa’s National Research Foundation, she occupies the NRF/Research Chair in Sustainable Rural Livelihoods at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Prof. Mubangizi is the Editor of the African Journal of Governance and Development and a member of the International Steering Committee ICSD Conference in Rome.
Dr. Abel Nzabona Abel Nzabona (PhD) is a Professional Demographer with research interests in Migration, Environment, Population Ageing and Population Dynamics. He has taught demography-related courses at Makerere University from 2000-2021 and published several journal articles on ageing, migration and environment. He is an Instructor of Research and Report Writing skills at the Centre for Basic Research and belongs to professional organisations such as IUSSP, UAPS and UGA.
Mubangizi, Betty Claire, and Abel Nzabona. “Governance and Rural Livelihoods: Experiences From Southwestern Uganda,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 6, no.8 (2025): 1480 – 1494. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256816
© 2025 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
