POLITICAL DECENTRALIZATION AND PRIMARY EDUCATION SERVICE

DELIVERY IN UGANDA: A CASE OF TIRINYI T/C,

KIBUKU DISTRICT

BY

AISHA NANSUBUGA
22/MPA/KLA/WKD/0017

Supervisor

Prof. Gerald Kagambirwe Karyeija

A RESEARCH PROPOSAL SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

SCIENCE IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE AWARD OF A MASTER’S DEGREE IN PUBLIC
ADMINISTRATION OF MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE
OCTOBER, 2023
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS...........................................................................................................................i
LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS..................................................................................v
CHAPTER ONE........................................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Introduction...........................................................................................................................................1
1.2 Background to the study........................................................................................................................1
1.2.1 Historical background.........................................................................................................................1
1.2.2 Theoretical background......................................................................................................................3
1.2.3 Conceptual background......................................................................................................................4
1.3 Statement of the Problem.......................................................................................................................7
1.4 Purpose of the study..............................................................................................................................8
1.5 Specific objectives.................................................................................................................................8
1.6 Research questions................................................................................................................................8
1.7 Research hypothesis..............................................................................................................................8
1.8 Conceptual framework..........................................................................................................................9
1.9 Justification of the study........................................................................................................................9
1.10 Significance of the study...................................................................................................................10
1.11 Scope of the Study.............................................................................................................................10
1.11.1 Geographical Scope........................................................................................................................11
1.11.2 Content Scope.................................................................................................................................11
1.11.3 Time Scope.....................................................................................................................................11
1.12 Operational definitions.......................................................................................................................11
CHAPTER TWO..............................................................................................................................13
LITERATURE REVIEW.................................................................................................................13
2.1 Introduction.........................................................................................................................................13
2.2 Theoretical review...............................................................................................................................13
2.3 Review of the related literature............................................................................................................15
2.3.1 Political decision making and primary education service delivery...................................................15
2.3.2 Political participation and primary education service delivery.........................................................17
2.4 Summary of literature review..............................................................................................................22

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CHAPTER THREE..........................................................................................................................24
METHODOLOGY...........................................................................................................................24
3.1 Introduction.........................................................................................................................................24
3.2 Research design...................................................................................................................................24
3.4 Determination of the sample size.........................................................................................................24
3.5 Sampling techniques and procedures...................................................................................................25
3.6.2 Interview Method.............................................................................................................................26
3.7 Data collection instruments.................................................................................................................27
3.7.1 Questionnaire....................................................................................................................................27
3.7.2 Interview guide.................................................................................................................................27
3.8 Data quality control.............................................................................................................................27
3.8.1 Validity of instruments.....................................................................................................................28
3.8.2 Instrument reliability........................................................................................................................28
3.9 Data collection procedures..................................................................................................................29
3.10 Data analysis......................................................................................................................................29
3.10.1 Quantitative analysis.......................................................................................................................29
3.10.2 Qualitative analysis.........................................................................................................................30
3.11 Variable measurement.......................................................................................................................30
3.12 Ethical consideration.........................................................................................................................31
REFERENCES.................................................................................................................................32
APPENDIX ONE: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE HEAD TEACHERS AND TEACHERS...........42
APPENDIX TWO: INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR THE DEO AND DIS.............................................47
APPENDIX THREE: PLAGIARISM REPORT..............................................................................48

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 LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
NSDS: National Service Delivery Survey
QoL: Quality of Life
CCG: Classroom Construction Grant
SFG: School Facilities Grant
UPE: Universal Primary Education
UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

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 CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
Education is a continuous process of experiencing and of revising or non-revising experiences. It
involves the development of all those capacities in the individual, which enable him or her to
control his environment and fulfill his or her possibilities (Okwang & Mwesigwa, 2022). The
forces of the environment begin to relationship between the growth and development of the
individual right from the womb of the mother. According to Okoye and Okoh (2021) there are
several environmental factors which affect a student’s education, they include; family factors,
school factors school proximity, teacher’s factors (teachers’ professionalism) and child factors
(Peer pressure, peer conformity). The expanded access to primary education has also led to
gender parity in primary enrolment (Tromp and Datzberger 2019). However, it has also resulted
in very high pupil–teacher ratios, scarcity of classrooms and textbooks, and a reduction in
performance of pupils in terms of completion rates, pass rates, numeracy and literacy rates and
inequalities if one considers completion rates and quality of education (John Paul II Justice and
Peace Centre 2014; Tromp and Datzberger 2019).
This study will aim at examining the relationship between political decentralization on primary
education service delivery in Tirinyi T/C Kibuku District. In this study, political decentralization
was conceived as the independent variable while Education service delivery as the dependent
variable. This chapter consists of background to the study, problem statement, and objectives of
the study, purpose of the study, specific objectives, research questions, research questions,
justification, significance and scope of the study.
1.2 Background to the study
This section presents the background of the study that is; the Historical Background, Theoretical
Background, Conceptual Background and Contextual Background as follows;
1.2.1 Historical background
On a global perspective, the concern for primary education service delivery is traced from the 7 th
Century in England during the reign of King Henry when citizens started demanding for better
services from the state (Ruthrock, 2017). By then, the citizen demands focused on
communicating the service offerings and products, identifying and prioritizing demand for
capacity development services, determining the appropriate level and methodology for service

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delivery, identifying potential partnership opportunities and resourcing capacity development
initiatives (Ruthrock, 2017). The need to reach out to the grass root people, and as part of the
global development agenda, have greatly occasioned the need to improve services governments
do provide to the citizens.
In the Africa context, issue of service delivery in general and education service delivery in
particular became prominent in the 1950s with the emergence of cooperative movements that led
to various reforms. Public sector entities were under increasing pressure to demonstrate that their
services are citizen-focused and that continuous performance improvement was being adhered to
(Nir & Kafle, 2013). Nine of the top 10 most difficult nations for girls to be educated are in sub-
Saharan Africa and they are, South Sudan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Central African Republic, to
mention but a few. Nearly three-quarters of girls in South Sudan do not attend primary school. In
Nigeria alone, approximately 5.5 million girls were not in college while the case of Ethiopia
suggested that in excess of a million were victims, in the Central African Republic, there is only
one teacher for every 80 students, and in Niger, only 17% of young women are literate (Owen,
2021)
In Uganda, the drive to improve management in cooperative movements gave birth to reform
programmes in service quality to increase efficiency, effectiveness, and the delivery of quality
service to the public. A series of sector reforms intended to improve service delivery and satisfy
the public (citizens) were implemented in Uganda in the 1960s among which was education
service (Mulumba, 2015). Scores of successes were initially recorded in all reform areas of the
1960s and early 1970s. Services in education were controlled based on set principles, standards,
policies and constraints to guide the designs, development, deployment, operation and retirement
of services delivered by a service provider with a view to offering a consistent service experience
to a specific user community in a specific manner (Ssewaya, 2013).
The history of decentralization can be traced to the Greek city-states of as early as 200 B.C.
Thecity-stateswereconsideredmoredemocraticallymanageablewithaneffectiveadministration. In
contemporary history, Political decentralization aims to give more authority to citizens and their
elected representatives in decision making and public administration. Political decentralization
support democratization by providing more opportunity for citizens and their elected
representatives to affect the creation and implementation of policies (Yusoff et al., 2016).
According to Akorsu (2015) political decentralization is a set of constitutional amendments and

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electoral reforms designed to open new, or activate existing but dormant or ineffective spaces for
the representation of sub-national politics. It aims to give more authority to citizens and their
elected representatives in decision making and public administration. Thus, political
decentralization involves the transfer of political authority to the local level through the
establishment of elected local governments and political parties.
In addition, in order to ensure quality primary education service delivery, the government of
Uganda has set aside conditional grants under the education sector which include Classroom
Construction Grant (CCG), School Facilities Grant (SFG) and universal Primary Education
(UPE). These grants are meant to construct classrooms, build teachers’ houses, general
management of the schools, and teachers’ welfare among others to improve performance of the
sector (Kisembo, 2006). The Education Act enacted in 2008 sub-section (ii) gives full effect to
the decentralization of Education services. In the education sector, the authority for primary
education has been transferred to local governments, along with the legal framework centered on
the Constitution and the Local Government Act (Obicci, 2014). In the primary education sub-
sector, decentralization to local governments and schools has progressed since the introduction
of Universal Primary Education (UPE) in 1997 while decentralization in the secondary education
sub-sector lags behind the primary education sector. However, since the introduction of free
secondary education in 2007, the pace of decentralization has picked up (Obicci, 2014).
1.2.2 Theoretical background
This study will adapt Public Choice theory by Buchanan (1962) which states that
decentralization is an aspect of local governance which helps to shift thinking away from state-
centered perspectives to include elements which are often considered to be outside the public
policy process. The notion of local governance can, accordingly, be regarded as an attempt to
come to grips with the limitations of state-centered local management.
The assumption is that decentralization, as a mode of governance will enhance speedy delivery
of social services. Public-Choice theory is built on the proposition that individual preferences for
local public services vary from place to place, because tastes and willingness to pay differ for
geographic, cultural and historical reasons (and that preferences within each locality are
reasonably homogenous). For this reason, it is argued that central provision of local public good,
(tends to be uniform across the country), is likely to please nobody. It therefore is argued, that
States should only offer those services that correspond to local needs (Klugman, 1994).

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It is also argued that information is an important factor bearing on social service delivery. When
there is insufficient or asymmetrical information, it is difficult for government decision-makers’
to predict the consequences of their decisions. The probability of disparities between decision-
makers ideas and the actual local impact of the decision is much greater in a centralized context.
This problem can be alleviated; it is argued, by virtue of having autonomous centers of decision-
making which function independently of the central authority.
Therefore, from a ‘public-choice’ angle, decentralization is a situation in which public goods and
services are provided through the revealed preferences of individuals by market mechanisms.
“Public-choice’ theorists contend that under conditions of reasonably free choice, the provision
of some public goods is more economically efficient when a large number of local institutions
are involved than when the central government is the provider. The argument here is that a larger
number of providers of goods and services offer citizens more options and choices that they
need. The concept of political decentralization however strongly rests on the belief that the
selection of representatives from local electoral jurisdictions allows citizens to know better their
political representatives and allows elected officials to know better the needs and desires of their
constituents.
1.2.3 Conceptual background
In this section, the study variables are political decentralization and primary education service
delivery with their dimensions as explained below;
Decentralization is the transfer of legal, political, administrative and financial authority to plan,
make decisions and manage public functions and services. This transfer is from central to lower
local governments (Bodó et al., 2021).
Decentralization means a reduction of concentration of public officers from the centre to the
periphery; the delegation of powers of decision making, implementation of government policies
to various agencies including local governments, non-government politicians or other agencies in
the private sector that could handle and deliver services on behalf of government; and the full
devolution of powers, functions, responsibilities, political powers(within legal framework) and
accountability to a lower level arm of government and other agencies (Wagner, McKelvey &
Nabben, 2020).
Political decentralization can be understood to refer to either or both of the following:
transferring the power of selecting political leadership and representatives from central

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governments to local governments; and transferring the power and authority of making socio-
politico-economic decisions from central governments to local governments and communities.
The first sense of political decentralization refers to a vote, while the second refers to the voice.
Political decentralization is best conceived in these two frameworks so that the power and
authority to decide is not limited to electing leaders or representatives but includes the full
transfer of decision making from the central government to the local governments (Bodó &
Giannopoulou, 2020).
Political decision making as one of the dimensions of political decentralization in the study is the
act of identifying the best options to guide actions (Engdaw, 2020).
The second dimension is political participation which refers to many channels for voicing and
exchanging opinions for example voting, articulating preferences, providing advice and counsel,
and channeling feedback from the public to the elected or appointed decision makers. Political
participation in this study also means the process through which stakeholders influence share
control over development initiatives and the decisions and resources which affect them (Bodó &
Giannopoulou, 2020).
Political accountability as another dimension of political decentralization refers to a clear
establishment of responsibility for performance (De Filippi, 2019). Political accountability is
also taken to explaining the actions taken or decisions made by a political actor in a political
office.
Under the dependent variable, Education service delivery in the study refers to the provision of
public education services to the people of Kibuku district. These services are measured in terms
of school management; school infrastructure; pupils’ performance and quality of teachers (Ejang
et al., 2022). School management refers to the systematic running of the school basing on the
laid down lawful procedures, and is measured in terms of teachers’ attendance to duty and
frequency of staff management meetings (Barakat & Urdal, 2015). School infrastructure refers to
parameters like classrooms, teachers’ houses and pupils’ sitting facilities (UNESCO, 2022).
Pupil performance refers to the quality of grades reflected in the PLE and UCE results. It was
measured by the grades of the primary leaving examination (PLE) (UNESCO, 2022). The quality
of teachers is measured by teachers’ academic qualifications and teaching experience (UNESCO,
2022).

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1.2.4 Contextual background
Tirinyi lies along the Iganga–Tirinyi–Kamonkoli–Mbale road, approximately 48 kilometres
(30 mi), by road, southwest of Mbale the nearest large town. It is approximately 60 kilometres
(37 mi), by road, northeast of Iganga. The coordinates of the town are 1°00'04.0"N, 33°45'45.0"E
(Latitude: 1.001123; Longitude: 33.762486). Kibuku District is bordered by Pallisa District to
the north, Budaka District to the east, Butaleja District to the south, and Namutumba District to
the west. The district headquarters at Kibuku are located approximately 53 kilometres (33 mi),
by road, west of Mbale, the largest city in the sub-region. The coordinates of the district are: 01
02N, 33 50E. Mandated by Article 176 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda (1995)
which provides for establishment of the decentralization policy as the basis of local governance,
through the enactment of the Local Government Act (1997); Kibuku district started
implementing the policy immediately it started operating as a district on 1st July 2010
(Musinguzi, 2018).
Decentralization policy has been and is a basis for education service delivery in Kibuku District.
The implementation of universal primary education is the responsibility of the district education
officer under the supervision of the district council (Musinguzi, 2018). In order to ensure quality
education service delivery, the district has utilized the education sector grants from the center
such as Classroom Construction Grant (CCG); school facilities grant (SFG) and UPE grant, to
construct classrooms, staff houses, and general management of schools and teachers’ welfare.
According to the Education Sector Conditional Grants to local governments- sector expenditure
guidelines for financial year 2012/2013, Tirinyi T/C Kibuku District was allocated 361,424,000=
as school facilities grant, 250,238,000= as UPE capitation grant, 8,656,000= as inspection grant,
and 629,631,000= as Universal Secondary Education grant. These funds were spent according to
the guidelines provided to ensure quality education service delivery. In the financial year
2013/14, Kibuku District has been allocated 335,208,153= for SFG (Education Sector Grant
Budget to Local Governments, 2013/2014).
Despite these, pupil academic performance and accountability of sector funds are very poor
(Development plan, 2018-2022). In addition Kibuku District has an education office headed by
the district education officer (District Development Plan, 2018-2022). The Education office is
responsible for planning, preparing and execution of the budget, supervision and monitoring of
educational activities in the district (JICA, 2012). With this responsibility however, there is lack

6
of support supervision to schools by school management committees, absenteeism among head
teachers, teachers and pupils. In addition, Kibuku District is still associated with poor quality of
teachers, inadequate and poor school infrastructures, and poor academic performance as reflected
in the 2019, 2020, and 2021 PLE and UCE results (Tirinyi T/C Five Year Development Plan
2018-2022). Further still there are sub county local governments which collect, discuss and
approve education sector priorities from parish levels and forward the unfunded priorities to the
District for implementation. There are also School Management Committees whose role is to
closely supervise and monitor school programs for effective service delivery. It is against this
background that the researcher will establish the relationship between political decentralization
and education service delivery in Tirinyi T/C, Kibuku District.
1.3 Statement of the Problem
The Constitution of the Republic of Uganda (1995) under articles 30 and 34 not only enshrines a
child’s right to basic education but also makes it obligatory on the state to provide it. The
aspirations of United Nations Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, the Africa Agenda
2063 and the East African Community Vision 2050 are to have a holistic approach to achieving
sustainable development for all. SDG 4 Target 4.1 emphasizes ensuring that all girls and boys
complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and
effective outcomes (National Service Delivery Survey (NSDS), 2021).
Tirinyi T/C is currently implementing the political decentralization policy in her service delivery.
As a result, new ways of management that demand recognition of political decision making,
political participation, and political accountability in education service delivery has been attracted
(Adako, 2011). In order to ensure participation, the local residents’ environments for community
participation have been developed. School Management Committees have been set up in all
schools and communal action for education assistance is being enhanced (Okwang & Mwesigwa,
2022). There is a Social Services Standing Committee in Tirinyi T/C, Kibuku district which is key
in recommending to Council on how education resources are to be allocated, number of
classrooms to be constructed and where, teachers’ welfare and ensure quality education service
delivery (Tirinyi T/C Five Year Development Plan, 2018-2022).
With management committees in place, and direct transfer of funds directly from the central
government to accounts of each primary school, decisions are made at that level and this has
resulted in fewer delays than in the past (Okwang & Mwesigwa, 2022). With this political

7
decentralization however, there is poor primary education service delivery in terms of inadequate
school infrastructure, poor pupil academic performance, poor school management and poor
quality of teachers in Tirinyi T/C (Five Year Development Plan 2018-2022). Thus, poor primary
education service delivery implies the value obtained from the public funds is not worthy and in
addition, such service delivery negatively affects the image of the primary schools, local
government and the central government as a whole.
It is against this background that the researcher will examine the relationship between of political
decentralization and primary education service delivery in Tirinyi T/C.
1.4 Purpose of the study
To examine the relationship between political decentralization and primary education service
delivery in Tirinyi T/C, Kibuku District
1.5 Specific objectives
i. To establish the relationship between political decision making and primary education
service delivery in Tirinyi T/C
ii. To examine the relationship between political participation and primary education service
delivery in Tirinyi T/C
iii. To determine the relationship between political accountability and primary education
service delivery in Tirinyi T/C
1.6 Research questions
i. What is the relationship between political decision making and primary education service
delivery in Tirinyi T/C?
ii. What is the relationship between political participation and primary education service
delivery in Tirinyi T/C?
iii. What is the relationship between political accountability and primary education service
delivery in Tirinyi T/C?
1.7 Research hypothesis.
H1: There is a significant relationship between political decision making and primary education
service delivery
H2: There is a significant relationship between political participation and primary education
service delivery

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H3: There is a significant relationship between political accountability and primary education
service delivery
1.8 Conceptual framework
Political
Politicaldecentralization
decision making(IV)
 Resource allocation,
 Legislation,
 Policy formulation
H1 Primary Education Service Delivery (DV)
Political participation  Construction and renovation of
 Voting, classes
 Voice,
 Direct action H2  Provision of scholastic materials
 Facilitation of public schools
H3
Political accountability  Pupils’ academic performance
 Enforceability  Quality of teachers
 Responsibility
 Answerability

Source: Adopted from Source: Adopted from Kelsall, Mitlin, Schindler and Hickey, 2021);
Kato, (2008) (modified by the researcher, 2023).
Figure 1.1: Showing a relationship between political decentralization and primary
education service delivery
From the figure 1 above, the independent variable is political decentralization measured in terms
of political decision making with subthemes of resource allocation, legislation and policy
formulation, political participation with subthemes voting, voice and direct action and political
accountability with subthemes of enforceability, responsibility and answerability. The dependent
variable is primary education service delivery measured in terms of construction and renovation
of classes, provision of scholastic materials, and facilitation of public schools, pupils’ academic
performance and quality of teachers. It is hypothesized that any changes in the independent
variable will bring a change in the dependent variable by the same magnitude.
1.9 Justification of the study
Since Tirinyi T/C Kibuku District started implementing the political decentralization policy, the
management style changed with adherence to the principles of political decision making,

9
political participation, political transparency and political accountability. With these principles in
the local government system, service delivery has been affected most especially in the area of
education. There is poor school management, poor school infrastructure and poor academic
performance amongst the pupils and this therefore was a justification for the researcher to carry
out the study. Education service delivery leads to improved performance and change in quality of
life of the people. This will be characterized by regular monitoring, adequate infrastructural and
financial allocation plus improved staffing. To realize that, the government has put in place
Education Act and universal primary education guidelines, financial transfers and offices at the
town council charged with policy reviews and implementation of programmes and activities to
achieve the targets on delivery of education services. Despite all the above support and
provisions, Tirinyi T/C Kibuku District is still underscoring on the delivery of primary education
service an issue which the study intends to confirm.
1.10 Significance of the study
In particular, the study findings may help decision and policy makers in the Ministry of Local
Government and Ministry of education to come up with new policies for the improvement of
education grades in Tirinyi T/C Kibuku District
The study findings are expected to help policy makers and policy advocates in formulating or
advocating for appropriate policies to align political decentralization and education service
delivery into mutually reinforcing associations.
To the respective ministries responsible, the aspect of ministerial control which sometimes
causes significant challenge to public corporations were highlighted to them such that some
appointments and procedures of recruiting and selecting the agencies top brand which may be
politically motivated but technical advice, checks and balances and the stipulated criteria needs
to be adhered to for efficiency.
The study findings are also expected to add value to the body of existing knowledge and perhaps
lead to ventures in further research relating to fiscal decentralization and service delivery in local
governments. The study findings may also provide a basis for more empirical inquiry in the
subject area.
1.11 Scope of the Study
This comprised of the subject scope, geographical scope and the time scope

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1.11.1 Geographical Scope
The study will be carried out in Tirinyi T/C, Kibuku district. Tirinyi lies along the Iganga–
Tirinyi–Kamonkoli–Mbale road, approximately 48 kilometres (30 mi), by road, southwest of
Mbale the nearest large town. It is approximately 60 kilometres (37 mi), by road, northeast of
Iganga. The coordinates of the town are 1°00'04.0"N, 33°45'45.0"E (Latitude: 1.001123;
Longitude: 33.762486). Kibuku District is bordered by Pallisa District to the north, Budaka
District to the east, Butaleja District to the south, and Namutumba District to the west. The
district headquarters at Kibuku are located approximately 53 kilometres (33 mi), by road, west
of Mbale, the largest city in the sub-region. The coordinates of the district are: 01 02N, 33 50E.
1.11.2 Content Scope
The study examined the effect of political decentralization on education service delivery in
Tirinyi T/C Kibuku District. Political decentralization was the independent variable with political
decision making, political participation and political accountability as its dimensions. On the
other hand, education service delivery was the dependent variable with dimensions such as
school management measured by teachers attendance to duty and frequency of management
meetings; school infrastructures in form of classrooms, teachers’ houses and sitting facilities;
pupil performance which will be measured by PLE results and quality of teachers measured by
academic qualifications and teaching experience.
1.11.3 Time Scope
The study will focus on the period between 2010 and 2022 because it is the period within which
Kibuku District has been implementing political decentralization in the delivery of primary
education services. It is within this period that the district has planned, prepared and executed
education budgets, and supervised and monitored educational activities as a local government.
Kibuku District, using the education grants received in this period has constructed classrooms,
teachers’ houses, put school management committees in place, and had candidates sit for PLE. It
is however in the same period that poor academic performance has taken route in Tirinyi T/C
Kibuku District (Tirinyi T/C Kibuku District Five Year Development Plan, 2018-2022).
1.12 Operational definitions
In the study, Education Service Delivery refers to the provision of education services like
furniture, teachers, and teachers’ houses, classrooms, sitting facilities like desks, scholastic
materials, and exam results, among others in public schools.

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Equitable distribution of resources will imply that all public schools in the district are benefiting
from the education grants, that is, getting the share that is due to them according to the
population in the school, and the location.
Political accountability refers to the outputs that the stakeholders have achieved vis-à-vis the
inputs in primary education service delivery and their willingness to give this information to the
people they are responsible for.
Political decision making means the recommendations and resolutions made by the local
councils and other stake holders in providing education services in public schools’ Political
participation in the study refers to the level and frequency of involvement of stakeholders in
education service delivery in Tirinyi T/C Kibuku District.
Resource allocation refers to how local councils and other stakeholders determine which school
gets how much in terms of school facilities.
School management refers to how the public schools are run by different stake holders, for
example school management committees, school staff and its leadership, district education
office, council education committees, among others.

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 CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
This chapter will study and present existing literature on the relationship between political
decentralization and primary education service delivery in Tirinyi T/C, Kibuku District.
Literature study will be based on the following objectives for instance, to establish the
relationship between political decision making and primary education service delivery in Tirinyi
T/C, to examine the relationship between political participation and primary education service
delivery in Tirinyi T/C and to determine the relationship between political accountability and
primary education service delivery in Tirinyi T/C. Literature will be drawn from secondary
sources such as journal articles, policy documents, the constitution of the Republic of Uganda
and reports. The literature study chapter will constitute of the theoretical, conceptual, the actual
study in relation to the specific objectives of this study and summary of literature study.
2.2 Theoretical review
The Public Choice Theory considers the private business management style. It basically, focuses
on the market mechanism or competition and in turn the application of this management style in
the public-sector. Therefore, worthwhile and main aspects of the Public Choice Theory, like
scarce resource allocation, outsourcing or contracting out, institutional pluralism, service
decentralization, and accountability through performance management are some of the important
doctrines of PCT that needs to be applied in the public-sector as follows. First, authors argued
that a gap subsists between the population’s needs for public service and available resources. So,
decisions must be made regarding how to best use the scarce resources based on solid grounds
(Liss, 2006). For example, when we think about the budget of a country, there is an immediate
issue of dividing up the overall national scarce resource, and assessing how much the federal
government can contribute to different tiers. Therefore, it is imperative to consider issues that
require priority areas with the involvement and participation of stakeholders before resources are
allocated to different levels and across agencies. Allocation of scarce properties is a reality in
public-sector. For example, the Ministry of Education (the responsible ministry for educational
policy, program, and activity) as grand public-sector in is concerned with scarce resource
allocation, like human, fiscal, and material resources.

13
However, given majority voting could raise public costs unnecessarily the scarce resource
allocation, especially in the case of logrolling (vote trading). When logrolling occurs it will
always increase public costs unnecessarily and in the public-sector these settlement come at the
cost of others. The other important point mentioned by (Free & Free, 2010) is Rent Seeking.
Rent Seeking is also a hindrance to efficient distribution of limited resources in a Public Choice
Theory. Second, the PCT deals with the possibility of “Institutional Pluralism” in the provision
of public services. Institutional pluralism is a normative position about fair delivery of services
and goods (Claassen, 2009). It requires a menu of institutions, rather than a single master
institution. The pluralistic set-up allows us to ask questions such as whether education, for
example should be provided through the government provision or delivered through the private
provision or both. Institutional pluralism, for example in the Ministry of Education, as practiced
currently in different countries, can promote and make more functional the private-sector
involvement in the education sphere. The major transformation for NPM as compared to the
Bureaucratic model is the possibility of arranging options of government service provision. Of
course, the approach has a market flavors. It basically, concentrates on decreasing cost and
considers the intention of government to focus on its core mission. However, it does not mean
that the core functions of an agency cannot be delivered by others, since the public-sector
services can be delivered in many ways.
According to the public choice theorists, providing the public interest cannot be achieved with
the common values shown collectively as in the classical public administration understanding.
According to the public choice theory, utility is only the result of bargains between individuals
for profit and loss. The common good in the common public good will therefore be the result of
mutual bargaining of profit and loss between individuals, just as in the economy. For example,
by considering the activities of political parties in social life and their importance for today’s
democracies, we can conclude that they are parts of a public interest realization process that
supports the theory of public choice.
Politicians, including not only political-party members but also the representatives of organized
groups, do make statements about distributional justice and do argue such notions as the reason
for various policy demands (Lane, 1990). Tullock has recently argued that these serious
problems have to be faced within the framework of public choice analysis and not be resolved by
means of simple fiat placing the burden of argument with those who question these implications

14
(Tullock, 1987). They are likely to seek to further their own well-defined interests (Buchanan,
1988: 11)
2.3 Review of the related literature
2.3.1 Political decision making and primary education service delivery
Resource allocation
Education funding has been and continues to be a general concern for all education systems and
the backbone of all educational planning. The government’s potential to provide quality
education and plan new priorities depends on the abundance of adequate funding for education.
The school funding management mechanism, distribution, and monitoring play an essential role
in ensuring that resources are injected into their right portfolio (Broeker et al., 2021). A flawed
education funding system has deprived many African children’s right to receive education,
especially in sub-Saharan African countries. Mali is not an exception, which leads to many
problems and shortcomings such as unclear funding system, dysfunctional educational funding,
and poor quality graduates. This situation has encountered considerable concern in literary
analysis and assessment from many scholars. Specially, this concept is about assigning the right
people to perform the planned activities and allotting financial and material resources required
to facilitate the execution of these activities and delivery of expected outputs within the
scheduled time (Wang, 2019). Prior research indicates that resources are allocated through
budgeting decisions taken in such a way that more resources are apportioned to prioritized
functions and activities while less or no resources are allotted to non-prioritized areas (OECD,
2020).
Education systems ought to give satisfactory assets to guarantee that all understudies have the
potential chance to get excellent essential training (Wang, 2019). As indicated by (UNESCO,
2021), giving quality instruction to an extending understudy populace requires asset use
effectiveness, and an appraisal of cost-productivity requires dependable monetary information.
Great administration is likewise referenced a ton through various explores. Sidibé, Gao and
Jaiteh (2022) noticed that basically apportioning public assets for appropriate labor and products
may not prompt wanted results assuming great administration is deficient. The productivity of
schooling inside or remotely can be advanced by "specialized" and "monetary" signifies. Others
center around the appropriate funding of training, value, and deficiency by analyzing spending
and asset dispersion in schooling, strategy, and programming connected with training finance

15
systems and value arranged asset rearrangement, schooling imbalance, and the economy.
Simultaneously, OECD (2021) states that instructive viability alludes to the capability of a
specific blend of school assets to give wanted results. Thus, there is this connection between the
powerful subsidizing of instruction and the nature of human resources. My advantage in
surveying the money source in open elementary schools in Tirinyi T/C, Kibuku Region emerges
in light of the low quality of understudies' exhibition in various tests and assessments, the
deficient working states of the two educators and understudies, the deficiency of perusing and
learning material showing building, and educators' amount. So given the abovementioned, I
might want to make a move to basically survey and investigate more about the subsidizing of
elementary schools in Tirinyi T/C, Kibuku Locale and add to the current writing. To recognize
the connection between's the assets infused in training and the nature of schooling accomplished
by the elementary schools' alumni, examine the grade school financing administration,
appropriation, and observing system.
Legislation,
The Local Government Act Section 39-45 gives local governments a range of powers to
legislate. Through political Decentralization, local councils have been given the mandate to
legislate for service delivery. District councils have autonomy over primary and secondary
education service and therefore take decisions on how these should be run by legislating and
formulating ordinances in their respective councils (Nkonya, 2018). Tirinyi T/C, Kibuku District
has the authority to formulate, approve and execute its own plan (Nkonya, 2011). Section 38 and
39 of the Local Government Act give District Councils and Lower Local Governments the
powers to make laws and bye-laws respectively provided they are consistent with the
Constitution. Many ordinances and bye-laws have been legislated upon and enacted to ensure
quality education service delivery by addressing pupils and teachers’ welfare (Five Year
Development Plan, 2011-2016). The Central Government however continues to play a role of
policy setting, governance, management, finance and curriculum
Policy formulation;
A PS framework helps us understand the country-specific factors influencing the education
sector. Obviously, there are also features that are not context dependent (Mugenyi, 2020).
Generally, the education sector needs trained teachers to provide quality education for all and its
provision involves different levels of governance: central, local and school level. In most

16
developing countries, one of the challenges that the education sector faces is monitoring
education initiatives. Thus, it is easier to increase enrolments than to improve the quality of
teaching and learning. As Mushemeza (2022), for many African countries, the real choice
governments have faced is between ‘quality education for some, and some education for all’, in
other words, the expansion of access may have caused the deterioration of the learning outcomes.
So, the education quality-related challenges Uganda is facing are not unique. Uganda can be seen
as a typical case of a clientelist settlement in a low-income country with the same challenges as
other low-income countries when it comes to quality education. Uganda also faces some typical
political pressures regarding the education sector: there are strong incentives for the ruling elite
to focus on access rather than quality, because, like many other low-income African countries,
the ruling coalition gets most of its support among the rural poor. With the above challenges, this
study sees to cover these research gaps.
2.3.2 Political participation and primary education service delivery
Voting,
Article 59 of the Constitution gives every citizen of Uganda of eighteen years and above a right
to vote. Elections of councilors of Local councils take place under the LGA, Popularly known as
the “Decentralization Act”. All local councils are directly elected under universal secret ballot by
all people above the age of eighteen (18). All chairpersons of local councils are also directly
elected by the voting population (Jordanwood et al., 2022). These voted councilors are the ones
who end up on committees of social services where education lies and take decisions on
education service delivery. Dick-Sagoe, (2020) however, argues that councilors use the sectoral
committees of the council to influence allocation of projects to their political favor. The result is
highly distorted service delivery process that has succumbed to political expediency rather than
economic viability or social need. This study therefore seeks to cover gaps.
Voice
Citizens have a voice in influencing education service delivery. Besfat (2018) narrates that
Uganda’s decentralization policy provided considerable opportunities for citizen participation.
Beyond elections, the policy calls for bottom-up planning and participatory budgeting thus
provides opportunities for Ugandans to influence local budgeting or development planning by
attending budget conference, for example or attending village council meetings to identify
development priorities (Lambright,2012). The need for active participation of parents and

17
communities in school governance has assumed increased importance under the decentralization
of education. Concurrent with decentralization, the implementation of the UPE policy puts much
emphasis on local management of schools, in particular management of the UPE grant. Local
councils (LCs) at the various levels are expected to monitor the flow and use of the UPE grant.
At the school level, the role of the school governing bodies is stressed. In Uganda, every primary
school is required by law to have a School Management Committee (SMC), which takes overall
responsibility for running the school. The SMC consists of four members appointed by the LCV
(local district-level council) education committee; two members elected by parents (often the
chairperson and treasurer of the parent–teachers’ association [PTA]); and three members
appointed by the commissioner for education of the central government. On one hand, the SMC
represents the government, while on the other hand it could have the potential to provide an
avenue for exercising local democracy, given its broad stakeholder representation. However, an
in-depth study conducted in four schools in the Mukono district in 2000 revealed this not to be
the case, despite parents being represented in school management structures and participating in
various school activities (Mbithi, Ndambuki & Juma, 2019). However, participation features are
seen as less important today than when the policy was newly introduced.
Xiao-Sheng, Yu-Ling, Rafique and Asl (2022) progresses that cooperation alone doesn't ensure
that quality and importance of advancement plans will be improved and doesn't ensure impact in
strategy making. As per Foa (2022), the Common agreement Political Responsibility (SCPA) is
expected to support dynamic citizenship, prompting a more adjusted connection among
lawmakers and residents/common society entertainers, and permitting the voice of the distraught
to be heard in the strategy and arranging process. The SCPA advances execution situated
administration as residents electors pick pioneers not for "great discourses", but rather for their
"execution" and abilities to lead and oversee. The SCPA has given a system by which
cooperation can occur at various levels and common society can take part for best outcomes in
the Philippines, CSOs have involved SCPA related to imaginative methods of resident
commitment, stressing the support of a minimum amount that can make prevailing burden.
Direct action
Van der Berg, Taylor, Gustafsson, Spaull and Armstrong (2021) assert that restorative activity is
a change that is executed to address a shortcoming distinguished in a program administration
framework. Ordinarily remedial activities are executed because of group grievance, unusual

18
levels of interior non similarity, non-congruities distinguished amid inside, unfriendly, or
insecure patterns in item and process observing.
The way toward concluding a helpful action requires ID of moves that can be made to deflect or
ease the weakness. These exercises are routinely insinuated as counter measures. Ampleness is
overall plan to be upgraded by keeping an eye on the primary drivers of the issue (from time to
time the basic driver of occasion and non-disclosure are contemplated autonomously. In any
case, where possible an examination is endeavored to perceive various domains, things methods
or organizations, which may be impacted by same issue and study the credibility of passing the
counter measures across on over to those methodology. Further, these may be structures
positioned to ensure that the issue is viewed as in later episodes where new things, systems or
organizations are introduced, or existing things, techniques or organizations are changed. This
can be achieved through difference in the failure modes and effects (Public Arranging Authority,
2015). This study seeks to cover the research gaps.
2.3.3 Political accountability and primary education service delivery
In examining the association between accountability and performance, this study pays special
attention to the role of autonomy. We define “autonomy” as public employees’ “freedom to
manage” to achieve desired outcomes. Accountability-centered reforms in public agencies
generally involve giving employees some discretionary leeway in management (Hong, 2016).
The rationale is that public representatives see better how to work on authoritative execution than
either the chosen government officials or the populace, attributable to data deviation. At the end
of the day, the changes mean to work on the mentalities and ways of behaving of public
representatives by giving them adequate independence, as well as ex-post pay. Thusly, we
estimate that the effect of responsibility on execution relies upon the degree of independence
given to public workers. In any case, vulnerability over obligation might stay regardless of
whether it is clear which level of government and which legislator is liable for strategy. While
lawmakers are regularly liable for starting strategy choices, civil servants assume a vital part in
really carrying out those choices and delivering noticed arrangement. Officials who are
unscrupulous, clumsy, or basically don't share legislators' inclinations can fundamentally
influence the results residents notice. However, most work on responsibility by and large, and
clearness of attribution all the more explicitly, certainly expects that lawmakers, whose
obligations frequently incorporate observing administrators, ought to be considered responsible

19
for their own disappointments and triumphs as well as those of civil servants. While in numerous
settings lawmakers have sufficient command over the administration that residents can
successfully disregard civil servants as autonomous political entertainers, there are likewise
numerous settings where government officials have less command over administrators (Dubnick
and Frederickson, 2021).
The executives independence in open legislators has been accentuated since the appearance of
NPM, when it came to describe execution based responsibility drives (Olsen, 2020). The
responsibility of public authorities should be guaranteed through different measures, including
proficient guidelines and a feeling of obligation to general society. Regardless, expansive expert
caution is inescapable, and a presentation focused point of view basically passes on the subtleties
of the executives to public representatives. A hidden presumption of the Clinton organization's
Public Exhibition Survey (NPR) was that low presentation levels in government were owing to
an unbending regulatory framework that hampers independence and imagination (Thompson,
2000), as opposed to clumsy public authorities. The guideline of NPR is to engage public
workers, who will be considered responsible for the aftereffects of their activities. All things
considered, works on engaging government representatives have been found to decidedly
influence hierarchical execution. In any case, responsibility isn't equivalent to independence, and
there is no causal before-after relationship ensuring independence (Olsen, 2020). Furthermore,
the executives independence probably won't be established successfully in that frame of mind,
there being execution focused responsibility instruments in the public area, which suggests that
greater responsibility prerequisites can't guarantee more independence. This is the justification
for why numerous states have sought after administrative changes toward worker strengthening
as well as taking on execution based responsibility drives. Subsequently, administrative
independence assumes a directing part in building up or raising the connection among
responsibility and execution.
Many politicians began participating in responsibility initiatives out of moral obligation and due
to consumer and/or employee demand. Beyond this initial reason for involvement, social
responsibility practices can also claim to celebrate exceptional behaviors, encourage
improvement, and punish those who exploit society (Heath & Waymer, 2019). Social
responsibility practices can lower costs, increase community resources and programs, and help
solve community-based problems; (Heath & Waymer, 2019). Despite the positive outcomes, it

20
can be argued that the motivation for being socially responsible is one of self-interest, but this
does not negate the impact and benefits to the community (Heath & Waymer, 2019). Regardless
of the reasons for involvement in responsible practices, both individuals and businesses have the
ability to initiate and define their responsible practices and abide by the commitments made to
act responsibly (Williams, 2019). When businesses engage in responsible practices, decision
makers within the business choose if and how to share information surrounding those practices
and whether to include details in their mandated financial reporting.
An increase in voluntary financial reporting coupled with greater openness and detail in
mandated reporting has occurred recently. While responsibility reporting is not mandated by the
government, an increased demand from stakeholders for openness and a growing demand for
responsible practices surrounding environmental, social, and economic factors have occurred
(Manokaran et al., 2018). Voluntary corporate disclosures on environmental and responsibility
are growing in popularity for politicians as well as growing in demand from consumers as an
addendum and additional resource to evaluate the organization’s performance (Zhang, Chong, &
Jia, 2020). Despite the increased demand for social responsibility reporting, the reporting is still
not mandatory, but business participation is growing. With increased demand for social
responsibility reporting coming from mandatory government requirements, stakeholder demands,
openness demands, and general increased interest comes increased reporting as is outlined by a
35% report rate in 1999 and a 92% report rate in 2015 according to a survey completed by
KPMG (Cook et al., 2018). Though relationships have been proven between responsibility
participation/reporting and consumer trust, the relationship between responsibility
participation/reporting and financial performance is not yet defined.
Answerability is a practice that has been widely prioritized and studied (Ogiriki & Buseri, 2022).
It has for long been cherished as a measure of financial prudence among politicians. A study by
Nobanee and Al Breiki (2021), established that answerability, as key component of financial
management, impacts on project work. These scholars found that answerability acts as a check
on value worth attained from the investment capital, and subsequently sustainability of the
project activities. However, they were not leaning to the manufacturing public sector entities.
Relatedly in Almagtomea et al. (2019), revealed that there is a strong link, rather an
interdependent relationship between answerability and project quality of primary education .
However, their study was delimited to institutions of learning, though with relevant findings to

21
project activities. Poor quality of primary education was an unmet accountability standard
(Almagtomea et al. 2019).
A new report in Nigeria likewise uncovered that enduring issues in project chiefs face
particularly in open domain, is because of answerability deficits (Anayochukwu, 2022). This
view was held in answer lessening nature of essential training in organization of task work,
particularly income the executives. In a connected viewpoint, Ogiriki and Buser (2022) likewise
uncovered that answerability systems, lay a critical job in propelling transparency, making it
conceivable to learn spending plan execution, and could be a last proportion of manageability.
There is a nearby connection among answerability and undertaking manageability (Gleißner et
al., 2022; Ogiriki and Buser, 2022). These investigations completely state view that
answerability is a significant movement worth endeavor as one focuses on project nature of
essential schooling. In any case, their review degree is delimited external Uganda, and
neighborhood Ugandan setting isn't yet all around investigated. Considering project nature of
essential instruction, Doussy and Doussy (2020), relates that the worth of answerability is
imperative. Through recording, dispersing data, and deciphering monetary records, answerability
smoothens out project work (Doussy and Doussy, 2020). There is a less probability, that a
substance will acknowledge beneficial task nature of essential training without answerability
(Kenton, 2021), figured his might change in accordance with the venture being referred to, and
the executing organization.
2.4 Summary of literature review
Political decentralization in Uganda aims at promoting local decision making, participation and
accountability. Education service delivery advocates for clear and full implementation of
political decentralization in the education system. However, Kibuku District is still hampered
with inadequate funding, inadequate information on the side of the appointed and elected
officials on education policies.
Voters delegate their sovereignty to popular representatives, who in turn, at least in
parliamentary democracies, delegate the majority of their authorities to a cabinet of ministers.
The ministers also delegate many of their authorities to civil servants or to various more or less
independent, administrative bodies. In parliamentary systems with ministerial accountability,
such as United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany, public servants and their politicians are
accountable to their minister who must render political account to parliament (Flinders, 2001;

22
Strom, Miller &Bergman, 2003). Despite this, there is still poor management of schools and
accountability inadequacies.
There are measures pointed toward checking nearby catch in light of Reinikka and Svensson's
public consumption following overview which incorporate distributing month to month moves of
public assets to locale in papers and requiring elementary schools to post all inflows of assets on
open notification sheets. These actions are supposed to assist with advancing responsibility by
giving schools and guardians admittance to data expected to comprehend and screen the
operations of the award program, which thus will prompt superior results. Notwithstanding this
drive in any case, Kibuku Area is as yet portrayed by unfortunate scholarly execution, poor and
lacking infrastructural advancement and general unfortunate school the board hence need for this
review. The requirement for dynamic support of guardians and networks in school administration
has accepted expanded significance under the decentralization of training. This has prompted
arrangement of SMCs in all administration helped schools to convey the networks' voice in
navigation. Regardless of these set up, there are still deficiencies as far as independent direction,
investment and responsibility. These have been prime suspects in bombing schooling
administration conveyance in Tirinyi T/C, Kibuku Area and different regions in Uganda. This is
reflected in the unfortunate scholastic execution, poor and deficient school foundations and
unfortunate school the board (Tirinyi T/C, Kibuku Locale long term advancement plan, 2011-
2016). It is against this foundation that the analyst needed to figure out the impact of political
decentralization on schooling administration conveyance in Tirinyi T/C, Kibuku district.

23
 CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
This section will introduce the exploration plan, the study population, sample size and sampling
design. The instruments and methods for collecting and analyzing data will be further discussed.
Data collection methods, data analysis, variable measurement, and measures taken to improve
data validity and reliability will all be discussed in detail.
3.2 Research design
A research design is the strategy, plan and structure of a research project (Sileyew, 2020). Cross
sectional design will be employed to obtain information from a large group of respondents just
one time, in a single session without any follow-up once the information is obtained (Sileyew,
2020). In supplement, the study will adopt a triangulation of both quantitative and qualitative
data. Quantitative approaches will enable collection of numerical data in order to explain,
describe, understand, relationship. It will enable the researcher to quantify the views of
respondents towards certain variables and draw statistical conclusions. For qualitative approach,
it will help the researcher to better understand motivations, needs, processes, and rationale for
behaviors (among other things). It provides deep insights into a situation, and helps form ideas or
hypotheses for potential quantitative research (McCombes, 2023).
3.3 Study population
According to Stratton (2021), a population is a complete set of the entire group or individuals
with a common observable characteristic. The target population for this study will comprise of
110 respondents and mostly targeting staff in Tirinyi T/C, Kibuku District and other relevant
stakeholders in the within the Town council. They will include (10) Head teachers, (100)
Teachers, (1) DEO and (1) DIS. These will provide in-depth information for this study. The
study population will set clear direction on the scope and objective of the research and data
types. It will also help to define the characteristic variables of the individuals who qualify for the
study and provide the scope of the total population or universe for determining sample size.
3.4 Determination of the sample size
According to Mooney (2019), a sample size is defined as a subset of a particular selected
population. A sample size of 92 will be considered for this study using the using statistical tables

24
of Krejcie & Morgan. The statistical Table provides accurate and scientifically proven sample
size for each population hence easy to calculate.
Table 3.1: Sample Size Determination
population Study Population Sample size Sampling technique
Category
Head teachers 10 10 Purposive sampling
Teachers 100 80 Simple random sampling
DEO 1 1 Purposive sampling
DIS 1 1 Purposive sampling
Local Councilors 20 18 Simple random sampling
Total 132 110
Source: (Mukono District Education Manual (2022).
3.5 Sampling techniques and procedures
The study will employ both simple random and purposive sampling techniques.
3.5.1 Purposive sampling
Purposive sampling is a non-probability method for obtaining a sample where researchers use
their expertise to choose specific participants that will help the study meet its goals
(Nikolopoulou, 2022). This will help the researcher to select significant respondents to provide
in depth information which will be used to analyze and triangulate data collected from the
respondents. This technique is considered since it is less costly and saves time; it will enable the
researcher to acquire an in-depth understanding of the problem and to gain richer, useful and
focused information (Thomas, 2020). Purposive sampling will be used to select Head teachers,
DEO and DIS. Interviews will be conducted with the determined respondents since they are
more informed about the study problem.
3.5.2 Simple random sampling
Simple random sampling is a type of probability sampling in which the researcher randomly
selects a subset of participants from a population. It makes sure that every person in a population
has an equal probability of being chosen as a respondent (Thomas, 2020). It is embraced on the
grounds that it helps a scientist to efficiently pick a more modest gathering of delegate items or
individuals (a subset) from a pre-characterized population to go about as subjects. All individuals
have an equal chance of participating in the study using this method, which relies solely on luck

25
for selection. There are advantages and disadvantages to the simple random sampling method. It
ensures that the population is impartial, representative, and equally distributed. Teachers will be
selected for the study through simple random sampling.
3.6 Data collection methods
The methods of collecting data for the study will be categorized as primary and secondary.
Primary data will be gathered through qualitative and quantitative approaches. The study will
collect data from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data will be gathered using
qualitative and quantitative approaches (Taylor, 2021). Interviews and self-administered
questionnaires will help gather primary data.
3.6.1 Questionnaire survey method
According to Muhammad and Kabir (2018), a questionnaire is a method of survey data
collection in which information is gathered through oral or written questionnaires. The
questionnaires will be self-administered to Teachers to obtain required information for the study.
Questionnaires will enable the researcher to collect a large sample of information in a short time
and at a reasonably low cost and give similar or standardized questions to the subjects making it
easier for comparison and generalization. The questionnaires will be adopted because the
response option for a close ended question is exhaustive and mutually exclusive. In this case
questionnaires (with close ended questions) will be administered to the respondents with aid of
research assistants. This will be used to obtain their views in relation to the study phenomena
(Mutepf, 2019).
3.6.2 Interview Method
Interview is a conversation between two or more people where questions are asked by
interviewer to elicit facts or statements from the interviewee. It’s a person-to-person verbal
communication in which one person or a group of persons is interviewed at a time (George,
2022). Interviews will be conducted with the key informants such as District Education Officer
and District Inspector of Schools who are well informed about the study problem. Interviews will
be conducted because they have the advantage of ensuring probing for more information,
clarification and capturing non-verbal expressions of the interviewees. It gives the researcher
time to revisit some of the issues that have been an oversight in other instruments and yet is
deemed vital for the study. This interview technique will enable the scholar to probe in depth
description on the views of the respondents. The interview process will involve a professional

26
interaction between the researcher and the interviewee with strengthened social norms, values
(Sileyew, 2019).
3.7 Data collection instruments
The researcher will adopt a mixed method for data collection whereby self-administered
questionnaires, key informative interview guide and documents study checklist will be utilized
for the process of collecting data as discussed below.
3.7.1 Questionnaire
According to Muhammad and Kabir (2018), a questionnaire is a method of survey data collection
in which information is gathered through oral or written questionnaires. The questionnaires will
be self-administered to Teachers to obtain required information for the study. The questionnaires
will be adopted since they are easier to administer, less costly, timely and they allow the aspect
of confidentiality (Budianto, 2020). The researcher will design the questionnaires in accordance
to the study objectives and variables employed in the conceptual framework. In this case close
ended questions will be administered to the respondents with aid of research assistants. This will
be used to obtain their views in relation to the study phenomena (Mutepf, 2019).
3.7.2 Interview guide
Interviews guide is an alternative tool of data collection whereby researchers collect data through
direct verbal interaction while recording respondent’s answers using interview guide to
supplement other data collection methods (Budianto, 2020). Key informants, such as members of
the District Education Officer and District Inspector of Schools, who are knowledgeable about
the study problem, will be interviewed. Because it will enable the researcher to gather
comprehensive qualitative data on the phenomenon under investigation, this approach will be
taken into consideration. This will allow for more in-depth analysis and provide more relevant
information that could not have been obtained through the questionnaires (Wang, 2018). The
researcher will use the interview guide to have a professional conversation with the respondents
in person to get complete explanations of how they perceive this study.
3.8 Data quality control
The researcher will pre-test the instruments used to collect data to ensure that they meet the
study's acceptable standards for reliability and validity.

27
3.8.1 Validity of instruments
According to Chetwynd (2022) validity is the accuracy or extent of which the scores from a
measure represent the variable they are intended to measure. The content validity index will
enable the researcher to measure the degree to which the questions items reflected in the specific
areas are covered. Content validity is the degree to which a test or assessment instrument
evaluates all aspects of the topic, construct, or behavior that it is designed to measure. Do the
items fully cover the subject? High content validity indicates that the test fully covers the topic
for the target audience. Lower results suggest that the test does not contain relevant facets of the
subject matter (Middleton, 2023). Measuring content validity will involve assessing individual
questions on a test and asking experts whether each one targets characteristics that the instrument
is designed to cover. This process will compare the test against its goals and the theoretical
properties of the construct. The researcher will systematically determine whether each item
contributes, and that no aspect is overlooked. According to Chetwynd (2022) any content
validity index (CVI) that is greater than 0.7 means that the instrument is valid for research
purposes. The researcher will employ the following formula for validity test.
CVI = Number of items considered relevant /Total number of items
3.8.2 Instrument reliability
Reliability refers to the likelihood of getting the same results over and over again if a measure
will be repeated in the same circumstances (Chetwynd, 2022). Reliability ensures that measures
are free from error so that they gave same results when repeated measurements will be made
under constant conditions. The instruments will be pre-tested by selection of a few staff members
who will review and improve it, to ensure reliability before it will be really applied in the study
(Yusoff, 2019). The researcher will personally administer the questionnaires to the participants
and will be available for consultations and explanations while the participants fill in the data. The
researcher will check the questionnaires to ensure that all the questions are answered
appropriately. The pre-test will contribute to the credibility, dependability and trustworthiness of
the questionnaires. The findings from the test will be coded in the SPSS, a computer package to
test for reliability at the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient so as to assess the internal consistency
above 0.70 (Amirrudin, 2021).

28
3.9 Data collection procedures
After the successful proposal defense, the researcher will get a presentation letter from the
Uganda Management Institute (UMI) and present it to the Tirinyi T/C, Kibuku District for
endorsement to complete the study. The researcher will test the interview guide and
questionnaire on two respondents and a sample of ten respondents, respectively. The researcher
will then make changes to the interview guide and questionnaire based on the feedback from
these respondents. As of now, initiates for research partner positions will get preparing on moral
contemplations. After that, the researcher will get in touch with representatives of the Tirinyi
T/C, Kibuku District to negotiate a work-friendly schedule. Appointments will be made for the
researcher to meet the respondents and collect the data at the organization (Tirinyi T/C, Kibuku
District). The researcher will personally deliver the questionnaires to respondents, assisted by
research assistants, after obtaining permission from the Tirinyi T/C, Kibuku District. The
researcher will then conduct in-person interviews with the most significant respondents, which
will include a question and answer session. From that point on, the instruments for the
exploration will be gathered, and the data will be recorded, coded, deciphered, and studied.
3.10 Data analysis
Data assessment is the strategy associated with bringing solicitation, plan and importance to the
mass of information amassed. The research will encourage both qualitative and quantitative
methods of data analysis prior to the analysis of the data that is discussed in this section.
3.10.1 Quantitative analysis
According to Borgstede and Scholz (2021) Quantitative data examination is a kind of assessment
that relies upon the strategies for intrinsic sciences, which produces numerical data and hard real
factors. The data will be presented in comprehensive tables displaying the responses to each
category of variables after being edited, coded, and entered. Quantitative data analysis, which
calls for employing both descriptive and inferential statistics, will be carried out using the
Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS). Descriptive statistics describe the characteristics
of a data set. It is a clear procedure for really portraying, showing, and summing up information.
Descriptive statistics will require the definition of measures of central tendency like the mean
and standard deviation, frequency distributions; and measurements. In Inferential statistics will
focus on making predictions about a large group of data based on a representative sample of the

29
population. Regression analysis will be used to explain the effect of the independent on the
dependent variable.
3.10.2 Qualitative analysis
Borgstede and Scholz (2021) defined qualitative data analysis as one which provides insights and
understanding of the problem setting. It is an unstructured, exploratory research method that
studies highly complex phenomena that are impossible to elucidate with the quantitative
research. Qualitative data analysis will involve both thematic and content analysis and will be
based on how the findings will relate to the research questions.
Content analysis is a research method used to identify patterns in recorded communication (Luo,
2022). To conduct content analysis, the researcher will systematically collect data from a set of
texts, which can be written, oral, or visual (Books, newspapers and magazines, Speeches and
interviews). The researcher use content analysis to find out about the purposes, messages, and
effects of communication content. Content analysis will be used to quantify the occurrence of
certain words, phrases, subjects or concepts in a set of historical or contemporary texts (Marsh et
al, 2020).
Thematic analysis is a method of analyzing qualitative data. The researcher closely examines the
data to identify common themes, topics, ideas and patterns of meaning that come up repeatedly
(Caulfield, 2022). There are various approaches to conducting thematic analysis, but the most
common form follows a six-step process: familiarization, coding, generating themes, reviewing
themes, defining and naming themes, and writing up. Following this process will help the
researcher to avoid confirmation bias when formulating your analysis.
3.11 Variable measurement
According to IvyPanda (2020), measurement variable is an unknown attribute that measures a
particular entity and can take one or more values. It is commonly used for scientific research
purposes. Measurement variables are categorized into nominal, ordinal. A nominal variable is a
type of variable that is used to name, label or categorize particular attributes that are being
measured. A nominal variable is one of the 2 types of categorical variables and is the simplest
among all the measurement variables. Some examples of nominal variables include gender,
Name, phone, among others (Bhandari, 2022). An ordinal variable is a type of measurement
variable that takes values with an order or rank. They are built upon nominal scales by assigning
numbers to objects to reflect a rank or ordering on an attribute. The five point Likert type scale

30
(1- strongly disagree, 2-disagree, 3-not sure, 4- agree and 5-Strongly agree) will be used to
measure the independent variable and the dependent variable. The Likert scale will be used in
data collection to measure sentiments and respondents’ perception as per the formulated
variables. Ordinal and Nominal types of measurements will be used to measure variables on the
scale of 1-5, represented by strongly disagree, disagree, not sure, agree and strongly agree.
3.12 Ethical consideration
Ethics in research refers to the norms that distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable
behavior (Cammaerts, 2020). The researcher will recognize the importance of ethics in this study
whereby integrity, honesty and attribution will be highly taken into account.
To ensure privacy, the subjects will be informed upfront that indeed their names will not be
required, that they have the right to leave questions unanswered for which they do not wish to
offer the requisite information, and that the study will not put the respondent under pressure if
this happens.
Informed consent and approval will be sought from all the respondents and associated
stakeholders respectively. The researcher will also be cleared by the Research Committee of
Uganda Management Institute with a letter to the field.
To ensure that there is no plagiarism in this study, all work used in this book will be cited for and
referenced. The study will also go ahead to ensure that originality is ensured while using other
people’s work by testing this work using Turnitin Software from UMI website.
Research assistants will be utilized for ethical purposes and these will seek for respondent’s
consent before engagement. The researcher will assure respondents on matters of confidentiality,
and that their names would not be disclosed as well as the purpose for this study.
Confidentiality: During and after the study, the researcher is obligated not to disclose
confidential information given by a respondent to another party without the respondent’s
authorization. However, the researcher will exercise discipline in not discussing respondent
specifics with their family members or social gatherings and social media.

31
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41
APPENDIX ONE: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE HEAD TEACHERS AND TEACHERS
Dear respondents,
I am Aisha Nansubuga 22/MPA/KLA/WKD/0017 currently pursuing the Master’s Degree in
Public Administration at Uganda Management Institute, Kampala. I am requesting you to answer
this questionnaire which is intended to collect information on “Political decentralization and
primary education service delivery in Uganda: a case of Tirinyi T/C, Kibuku district”. The study
is purely for academic purposes and any information given will be treated with maximum
confidentiality. Please kindly answer the questions to the best of your knowledge.
Thank you so much in advance for your cooperation and for your precious time.

SECTION A: DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS

Please tick the option that best describes you.
Indicate your Sex
Male Female
1 2
In which age bracket do you fall?
18-30years 31-50yrs 51-60yrs Above 60

1 2 3 4
Highest Education Level
Diploma Degree Masters PHD
2 3 4

Years of Service
Less than 2 years 2-5 years Above 5 years
1 2 3

42
SECTION B: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POLITICAL DECISION MAKING
AND PRIMARY EDUCATION SERVICE DELIVERY IN TIRINYI T/C
You are required to answer the following statements using the key presented to you. Key: 6-
Strongly Agree (SA), 5- Agree (A), 3- slightly disagree (SLD), 2- Disagree (D) and 1 represents
Strongly Disagree (SD).

Statements 1 2 3 4 5 6
SD D SLD SL A SA
A
1 My political leaders mainly consider schools
that are doing badly as far as school
infrastructures are concerned while allocating
the infrastructural development funds
2 I am always involved in taking decisions which
affect our Education Sector
3 I am normally consulted by our politicians
before any decision is made
4 I am always informed of what is taking place in
the Education Sector
5 I am always involved in formulating bye-laws
that promote Education service delivery in my
area

43
SECTION C: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POLITICAL PARTICIPATION AND
PRIMARY EDUCATION SERVICE DELIVERY IN TIRINYI T/C
You are required to answer the following statements using the key presented to you. Key: 6-
Strongly Agree (SA), 5- Agree (A), 3- slightly disagree (SLD), 2- Disagree (D) and 1 represents
Strongly Disagree (SD).
Statements 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 I always participate in voting for my political SD D SL SLA A SA
leaders D
2 I am involved in setting priorities for goods and
services in Education sector
3 I am always given chance to air out concerns
about the Education sector in my area
4 I am directly involved in the selection of the
members of the School Management
Committees in my area
5 I am directly involved in disciplining teachers
whose attendance to duty is irregular

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SECTION D: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POLITICAL ACCOUNTABILITY
AND PRIMARY EDUCATION SERVICE DELIVERY IN TIRINYI T/C
You are required to answer the following statements using the key presented to you. Key: 6-
Strongly Agree (SA), 5- Agree (A), 3- slightly disagree (SLD), 2- Disagree (D) and 1 represents
Strongly Disagree (SD).

Statements 1 2 3 4 5 6
SD D SLD SL A SA
A
1 My local leaders are always making spot visits
to schools to ensure regular teacher and pupil
attendance
2 Financial releases to schools in my area are
always displayed on school noticeboards
3 I am always consulted on how best the UPE
programme can be implemented
4 I always get feedback information on the
implementation of Education programmes
during parish meetings in my area
5 I am always invited in Budget Conferences to
know the Education Sector performance and to
participate in deciding which areas need to be
prioritized for the sector grants
6 I am involved in monitoring schools in my
Thank you for your cooperation

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SECTION E: PRIMARY EDUCATION SERVICE DELIVERY
You are required to answer the following statements using the key presented to you. Key: 6-
Strongly Agree (SA), 5- Agree (A), 3- slightly disagree (SLD), 2- Disagree (D) and 1 represents
Strongly Disagree (SD).
Statements 1 2 3 4 5 6
SD D SL SLA A SA
D
1
2 Most of the schools in my area have
accommodation for teachers
3 Teachers’ attendance to duty in schools in my
area is regular
4 The School Management Committees in my area
hold at least two meetings in a term
5 Majority of the pupils who sit for PLE in schools
in my area pass in first grade
6 All schools in my area have enough classrooms to
accommodate the available number of pupils
Thank You for Your Valuable Time and Information

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 APPENDIX TWO: INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR THE DEO AND DIS
Dear respndent,
You are invited to participate in this research titled “Political decentralization and primary
education service delivery in Uganda: a case of Tirinyi T/C, Kibuku district”. It is a component
of a research project under taken by Aisha Nansubuga 22/MPA/KLA/WKD/0017 in partial
fulfillment of the requirement of the master’s degree in public administration. The information
will be treated with utmost confidentiality and academic purposes.
1) How are resources allocated in ensuring education service delivery in Tirinyi T/C,
Kibuku district?
2) What has been put in place in your local government to ensure proper management of
schools?
3) How is school management committees put in place in your local government?
4) What has been your role in the delivery of education services in your local government?
5) How is information concerning education services availed to the people of Tirinyi T/C,
Kibuku district.
6) What category of people is involved in the planning and budgeting for education services
in your district?
7) How do you as a leader account to your people as far as education service delivery is
concerned?
8) What has been done in your district to increase and improve school infrastructures?
9) How are policies concerning education service delivery formulated in Tirinyi T/C,
Kibuku district?
10) What strategies have been put in place to ensure good academic performance in Tirinyi
T/C, Kibuku district?
Thank You for Your Valuable Time and Information

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APPENDIX THREE: PLAGIARISM REPORT

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