Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book describes the policy, constitutional and legislative framework of decentralisation in Uganda. It examines the history of district councils in Uganda and the latent features of both district councils and central government, beginning with the Buganda Agreement in 1900 with the British colonial government and the introduction of indirect rule across the country. The book aims to examine whether the legal and policy framework of decentralisation produces a system of governance that better serves the greater objectives of local democracy, local development and accommodation of ethnicity. It presents policy debates surrounding the system of decentralisation, and, in turn, reviews the different declarations that have been made both globally as well as in Africa on the subject of decentralisation. The book also describes the intrusive institutional design and governance structures of the district councils, sustainable development and the accommodation of ethnic diversity.