Details

Between 2011 and 2013 the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) in cooperation with Action for Development (ACFODE) implemented an EU co-financed measure “Action for Strengthening Good Governance and Accountability in Uganda”. The project was implemented in eleven Ugandan districts namely Jinja, Palisa and Soroti in the east; Kabale, Kisoro, and Mbarara in the west; Arua, Pader and Lira in the north; and Masaka and Kiboga in the central region. Its overall objective was to contribute to the enhancement of democratic processes and accountability at the local level in Uganda while the specific objective was to increase the capacities of and mechanisms for civil society and elected representatives to fulfil their roles and responsibilities in a democratic system more effectively. The different measures undertaken KAS and ACFODE registered remarkable success in the attainment of specific targeted results through a series of systematic training initiatives as well as research and publication activities. Among the outcomes of the project was the successful establishment of an Inter-district civil society network for democracy promotion initiatives which guarantees the availability of an indigenous structure through which the work on promoting democratic accountability at the local level can be carried forward. The network brings together civil society actors from the 11 districts where the project was implemented.

In order to maintain the momentum of the network and promote the continuous sharing of knowledge and best practice exchange, KAS is convening a meeting of the civil society network in Kampala. Furthermore, KAS intends to use the experience and success from the previous project to transfer the knowledge and skills gained to other areas of Uganda particularly the Karamoja sub-region which is most often neglected by measures in the field of democracy promotion.

In the workshop, the progress within the inter-district forum on democracy promotion including chatting out ways for improving its relevancy, effectiveness, and efficiency will be reviewed, and possible ways of replicating the skills gained under the EU project in other parts of Uganda with a focus on the Karamoja sub region will be discussed.