Report on the Usage of ICT in Local Governments in Uganda

Transcription

1 Report on the Usage of ICT in Local Governments in Uganda By Elisha Wasukira and Wilber Naigambi July 2002

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION Background Methodology Review of Existing Documents Interviews with Key Informants Design and Administering Questionnaire for Sample Districts Write Final Report Conclusions Skills Base Computer Systems Maintenance Skills Computer Based Distance Learning Possible Capacity Development ICT IN UGANDA Development of the ICT Infrastructure The Main Telecommunication Infrastructure Providers Uganda Telecom Limited (UTL) MTN Uganda Limited Other Mobile Cellular Operators Internet Access Service Providers VSAT International Data Gateways Telephone and ISP Tariffs Important National Developments LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN UGANDA Structure of Local Government System in Uganda Organization of the Local Government System in Uganda Responsibilities of Local Governments in Uganda Urban and Rural configuration in Uganda Important Developments affecting the state of ICT in local governance Liberalization of the communications Sector Creation of post of Information Systems Officers within the district set up The policy of fiscal decentralization which Government wants to introduce Use of a commitment control system by Government...18

3 4 LEVEL OF ICT IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT Computer Equipment Available At Districts Level Of Access Of Computer Equipment By Staff Availability Of Local Area Network (LAN) Access to telephone and/or internet/ ICT Skill base Future Trends In ICTs In Local Governments General Plans Of The Districts Problems Experienced By Districts EXPERIENCE WITH DISTANCE TRAINING IN UGANDA Experience of IAE at Makerere University General Organisation Content Production Mode Of Delivery Of Distance Education Courses Similar Programs Conducted By IAE The African Virtual University (AVU) Experience of the DISH Distance Learning Project APPENDICES Appendix I: Documentation Collected And Referenced Appendix II. List Of Officers Interviewed Appendix III: Questionnaire administered to districts Appendix IV: District Budgets (Total) Appendix V: Survey Results and Analysis...28

4 1 Introduction 1.1 Background ICTs offer opportunities to enhance learning, for example by offering distance training. IICD wished to conduct research into the usage of ICT in Local Governments in Uganda. The objective of the research was to find answers to the following questions with respect to the said opportunities to enhance learning: 1. Infrastructure - how are Local Governments in Uganda equipped with ICTs (e.g. computers, modems, telephone access, Internet access, radio, satellite TV, etc); 2. Applications use of ICTs in Local Governments (e.g. word processing, data collection, training, information, communication, etc); 3. Skills/Competency - what is the level of ICT training and actual use; 4. Access - which people have access to ICTs; 5. Expected future trends planned availability, use and development of ICTs in Local Government in Uganda. IICD accepted a proposal from two Consultants based in Uganda to carry out the research, as per the terms of reference proposed by IICD and reproduced and amended in the proposal. The Consultants are: Elisha Wasukira Lead Consultant Wilber Naigambi Consultant ICTs offer many opportunities to enhance learning, including: 1. Using ICTs to assist instructors in face-to-face learning 2. Distance training The Consultants understanding was that distance learning is the focus in conducting the research. The methodology and technology/equipment for the two scenarios above differ in some ways. For example in scenario 1, instructors could be required, and will need computers (PCs) and instruction aides such as PC screen beamers and writing boards. Distance learning on the other hand may need multimedia equipped PCs and Internet/ access as a minimum requirement, without face-toface instructors. The number of learners and PCs required will be different, depending on the scenario intended. There are a number of programmes in Uganda aimed at building capacity of Local Governments personnel to manage their affairs, in response to a serious lack of capacity after the decentralisation policy was made operational. As a result Local Governments officers time is severely constrained by numerous seminars and workshops, to such extend that any new training programmes may add to the current overload. Any (more) training has to take this into account. 1.2 Methodology The methodology used for carrying out the assignment was to divide the assignment into 4 activities with a total of 11 tasks as indicated below. Activity No. 1: Review of existing documents This consisted of the following tasks: a. Obtaining and reading existing documents; 3

5 b. Analyzing reports and summarizing findings in draft report. Activity No. 2: Interview key informants This consisted of the following tasks: a. Designing interview format; b. Conducting interviews; c. Identifying sample districts and respondents; d. Updating draft report. Activity No. 3: Design and administer questionnaire to districts This consisted of the following tasks: a. Identifying gaps between information at hand and terms of reference b. Designing questionnaire; c. Administering questionnaire. Activity No. 4: Write final report This consisted of the following tasks: a. Analyzing questionnaire returns and making conclusions; b. Updating draft report to obtain final report. Details of what was done in each of the activities are explained below Review of Existing Documents The strategy was to obtain Strategic Plans of each of the key service delivery sectors in Local Governments, i.e. Health and Education (making up about 75% of all services provided by Local Governments) in order to obtain information on their future plans for Local Governments. In addition, documents on progress and status of the decentralization process, and documents on capacity planning for Ministry of Local Government were consulted. The findings were documented in our first draft report. The complete list of documents, which we obtained, read and from which we formed our initial opinion are listed in Appendix I. Also included are useful web sites Interviews with Key Informants In order to obtain further information and a better understanding of the documents obtained, we interviewed officials from the various sectors, listed in Appendix II. The draft report was again updated. The local government structure in Uganda has five levels; Local Council I (or LC I) to Local Council V (or LC V). Local councils are either administrative unit councils i.e. perform only administrative duties but no service delivery functions, or local government councils i.e. perform both administrative and service delivery functions. LC V and LC III are local government councils, making them the most important units in the local government structure. At the moment there are 56 districts (Local Council V) and about 890 Sub counties (Local Council III). For purposes of this research it was found more useful to deal with local councils that are involved in service delivery, that is LC V and LC III. However only the LC V level was considered for the following reasons: The District (LC V) has responsibility for capacity development at the lower levels, therefore matters of distance learning would a responsibility of the LC V 4

6 The infrastructure and equipment to support distance learning at LC III level is hardly there at the moment, and it is not feasible in the foreseeable future to equip all 890 LV III to an acceptable level for distance learning. During the interview with Ministry of Local Government officials, 11 districts; namely Apac, Iganga, Kibaale, Luweero, Masindi, Mbale, Mbarara, Mubende, Mukono, Rakai and Soroti, were selected as the sample districts using the following criteria: - A selection of Old districts which have been under decentralisation for over 3 years and therefore considered to have mature administrative and operational systems; A selection of New districts which have been under decentralisation for less than 3 years and whose administrative and operational systems are not yet mature; Regional distribution: At least one district from each of the major regions of Uganda namely Western, Eastern, Northern and Central regions. The characteristics of the sample districts are shown in the Table below: District New/Old? Region 1 Apac New North 2 Iganga Old East 3 Kibaale New West 4 Luweero Old Central 5 Masindi Old West 6 Mbale Old East 7 Mbarara Old West 8 Mubende Old Central 9 Mukono Old Central 10 Rakai New Central 11 Soroti Old East Design and Administering Questionnaire for Sample Districts Structured telephone interviews were held with the sample districts in the first round. This round of interviews provided answers to specifications of computers used by districts, skills in ICT (except spreadsheets), and availability and plans for telephone and Internet facilities in the districts. However, gaps were still identified between the information obtained, and the terms of reference. This mainly had to do with the following areas: Level of access to computers; ICT skills in spreadsheets; Number of computers that had CD ROM drives; Districts with Resource Centres and/or plans to set them up. A questionnaire shown in Appendix III was designed and administered to all the sample districts, and analysed Write Final Report Several internal reports (between the Consultants) were written, taking into account the analysis of questionnaire returns, interviews and conclusions. A final Report Format was communicated to the Consultants by IICD (Ref Tjalling Vonk), which required additional information, which information required further contacts with the sample districts and the Ministry of Local 5

7 Government. Most of the information was obtained, as explained in the following sections of this report. 1.3 Conclusions Skills Base There is generally low skill base in the districts to use computer equipment. District staff skilled enough to use standard computer applications ranges from 10% to 55%, most of which skills are in word processing applications. Spreadsheets skills are less than 15 %, while those of database management do are less than 10%. This appears to be the reason why most of the computers are used for word processing and by Secretaries. The most common application used is MS Word, and yet it is just one of a suite of 5 programs packaged and installed together. The other components of the suite are installed and just not used due to lack of skills to use them, and perhaps the initiative to do so. However, in order for the training to be effective, training programmes to address these areas should be tailored to the work currently being done by officers. The use of spreadsheets and database management systems should add value to and ease the way these officers do work at the moment. Without achieving this objective, training will just be a ritual with no retention value at all Computer Systems Maintenance Skills Demand gap for skills in computer systems maintenance stands at 100% thus providing immediate opportunities for training in this area Computer Based Distance Learning Possible The presence of computers in all districts and availability of telephone facilities means that long distance learning in districts can be done by using the Internet if the districts are facilitated to connect to the internet. In the event that this option turns out to be costly, the sure option of shipping training and instruction materials on CD ROMs could be used. We believe this is a sure training delivery option because all districts have computers with functional CD ROM drives Capacity Development The Ministry of Local Government recognizes that development of human resources to address the current weaknesses in decentralization is key to the success of the decentralization programs. Planning and managing service delivery functions require planning, budgeting, financial management, accounting, tendering, and contract preparation skills. Training materials in all these areas is available worldwide but actual training is beyond equipping district officers with basic ICT skills. The point here is that there is a big potential, for training in these areas, which could be done using distance learning techniques. A success story of implementing a similar project by DISH (Delivery of Improved Services for Health) to train nurses is a good example. 2 ICT In Uganda 2.1 Development of the ICT Infrastructure Prior to 1996, Uganda s communication infrastructure was among the least developed, not only in the World, but also in Africa. Further more, 70% of the communication services were concentrated in urban areas, leaving the rural areas with the least access to communication services. As a result of the liberalisation policies adopted by the Uganda Government during the 1990s, the infrastructure situation has changed, as shown in the table below: 6

8 Growth in ICT Infrastructure Since 1996 SERVICES PROVIDED July 2000 Feb 2001 July 2001 Fixed Lines Connected 46,000 56,000 58,000 58,000 61,000 56,149 Mobile Subscriber 3,500 40,000 70, , , ,034 National Telephone Operators Mobile Cellular Operators Internet Access Service Providers Internet/ (Wireless Access) Internet/ (Dial-up) Subscribers Subscribers VSAT International Data Gateways Public Internet Service Providers (Cafes) ,000 4, Public Payphone Licences Paging Service Providers FM Radio Stations Television Stations Private Radio Communication Operators 6500** National Postal Operators Courier Service Providers

9 The trend depicted above shows tremendous growth in communication and ICT infrastructure. However the level of infrastructure and services are way below the average compared with other economies in the World. Moreover most of the developments are still concentrated in urban areas, benefiting a small percentage of Ugandans. 2.2 The Main Telecommunication Infrastructure Providers The Communications Act of 1997 provided for two National Telephone Operators, a duopoly that was designed to give incentives to private investors in the telecommunication sector. Therefore some services will be provided by only the two operators for a period of 5 years, starting in July The two National Operators are Uganda Telecom Limited (UTL) and MTN Uganda Uganda Telecom Limited (UTL) Uganda Telecom Limited took over the telecommunication services of the former government owned Uganda Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (UP&TC) which, until 1995 was the only major telecom operator in Uganda. Uganda Telecom was privatized in 1996 with Uganda Government retaining 49% shares and 51% shares being held by a consortium comprising Telecel (from Switzerland), Detecon (subsidiary of Deutsche Telecom of Germany) and Orascom (from Egypt). Uganda Telecom has 3 divisions, namely Landline, Mobile, ISP & Data. (i) (ii) Landline Division: Largest Landline Network with 100,000 capacity countrywide. 55,000 customer connections Basic Rate and Primary Rate ISDN Services Prepaid Landline Service - Tele-save 95x. Mobile Division Mobile Network Covering Kampala, Entebbe, Mukono, Lugazi, Jinja, Iganga, Tororo, Mbale, Masaka, Mbarara, Kabale (plus towns in-between), expansion is still occurring. 90,000 customers (end of April 2002) Prepaid Services Post paid Services SMS Voice Mail to Mobile (iii) ISP & Data Division Internet Dial Up Internet & services (Analog Line, ISDN) Dedicated Internet Bandwidth (Broad band Wireless, xdsl) Web Hosting Domain Name Registration Mail Hosting Virtual Private Networks Data Dominant Provider of Data Connectivity Services 8

10 Countrywide Data Network providing: o Digital Leased Lines- Local, National, International o Frame Relay Services- Data Packet Switching o Points of Presence for Internet Services Professional Services: Consultancy, Solution Design & Implementation for Customers. Infrastructure Deployed Transmission: Two (2) International Gateways- Voice, Data, Internet National SDH and PDH Microwave Systems for Inter- Exchange Transport Optic Fibre Rings in Kampala PCM copper based systems for Inter-Exchange Transport Switching: GSM Mobile Switch at Mengo Analog & Digital Telephone Exchanges all over the country for landline services Data Nodes for Country-wide Data Network Access: Copper Cable Access Network in major towns GSM base stations Optic Fibre in Kampala Broadband Wireless System MTN Uganda Limited MTN Uganda launched mobile phone operations in October 1998 as the Second National Operator (SNO). MTN is required by its license to cover all Uganda s districts and county headquarters. Services and products provided by MTN are: (i) (ii) Mobile Phone 220,000 subscribers Coverage in 85 towns, translating into - 65% coverage - 93% urban coverage - 75% population coverage Products and services available for mobile subscribers - Voice mail - Call forwarding, call waiting, call holding - SMS - Short mail ( 2Mobile) - SMS Info - Roaming (66 operators in 43 destinations) Fixed line services, using FWTs on the GSM Network, Wireless Local Loop (WLL) and Fibre Optic Line Basic Telephony Voice and fax digital lines High speed dial up data service ISDN services (First operator to offer ISDN services in East and Central Africa) Leased Lines Internet Bandwidth 9

11 (iii) International Gateway MTN owns two international gateways, with the second offering resilience. Thus MTN connects to 260 countries directly MTN has direct links to East Africa, i.e. Kenya and Rwanda Other Mobile Cellular Operators Apart from the two National Telephone Operators, there is a third mobile phone operator; Celtel Uganda Limited (Celtel) All mobile phone operators offer pre-paid and post-paid/contract services. Competition between the mobile phone operators has brought some advantages to the users, including: Lower airtime charges Increased coverage Introduction of value added services such as voic and text messaging 2.3 Internet Access Service Providers By February 2002 there were 17 licensed Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Uganda. (Note: Those providing Internet access services, as opposed to Public Internet Services, which are mainly cafes) Most ISPs provide Internet/ access only in Kampala. Internet/ subscribers outside Kampala have to make national calls to connect to their ISP s access point, which makes these services very expensive VSAT International Data Gateways Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) stopped issuing new International Data Gateway licenses, in July 2000 at the start of the 5-year exclusivity period for the National Telecom Operators. However by then 8 providers had been licensed. The cost of VSAT terminals has dramatically dropped in recent years. Whereas such terminals used to cost several tens of thousands of US Dollars, a terminal can be purchased and installed for less than 5,000 US Dollars today, for small to medium internet access needs. This technology is likely to play a crucial role in providing Internet access to rural Uganda. 2.4 Telephone and ISP Tariffs The Table below shows the cost of Internet/ dial-up services from UTL, one of the two national operators Category Description of service Instal (USD) Diamond and Internet, unlimited Platinum and Internet, [Upto 30hrs a month] Gold Up-to 20MB Silver Up-to 10MB Moonlighters and Internet, 7.00PM + All day Weekends Fee The Table below shows the telephone tariffs for one of National Operators Monthly (USD) fee 10

12 UTL Tariffs Classic Landline (VAT exclusive) Connection fee ISDN monthly rental Optional telephone set Monthly Rental Exchange Cat 1 Exchange Cat 2 Exchange Cat USD USD per channel USD onwards 5.88 USD USD Minimum Consumption 4.41 USD USD 2.94 USD USD Standard Rate USD/min Local Calls Internet countrywide(*) National Calls Mango (Telecel) MTN Celtel E.A, Burundi & Rwanda Relax USD/min Family Sunday USD/min UK, South Africa & North America India & U.A.E Europe Middle East, South & Central America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand & Africa Special Countries (e.g. Cuba) UTL/Telecel (Mango) Post Paid GSM Phone Service (in US$) Peak Economy Super Economy UTL Land Line Mango MTN EA, Rwanda, Burundi Peak Super International UK, South Africa & USA India & UAE Europe ME, South & Central America Canada, Australia & New Zealand Africa & Asia Special Countries (e.g. Cuba)

13 UTL/Telecel (Mango) Pre Paid GSM Phone Service (in US$) Connection Fee 24 Monthly Rental 11 Peak Economy Super Economy UTL Land Line Mango MTN Celtel EA, Rwanda, Burundi Peak Super International UK, South Africa & USA India & UAE Europe ME, South & Central America Canada, Australia & New Zealand Africa & Asia Special Countries (e.g. Cuba) Although these figure have been taken from one operator, they are fairly representative of the national cost of communication. In addition, apart from dial-up, a number of ISPs offer alternative modes of connectivity and service to the Internet, as summarised in following table: Equipment & Installation Monthly Fee Broadband wireless 2,500 4KB KB KB 1,000 Leased Line 1,000 64KB 1,000 VSAT 4,700 Traffic, 4GB 250 Every extra 1MB 0.24 Note: Amounts in US dollars 2.5 Important National Developments The following are deemed to be important national developments that will affect the state of ICT in the country 1. Sometime last year the Government of Uganda identified ICT as one of 7 key areas for strategic investment, especially ebusiness 2. A Science a Technology Committee has been set up in Parliament, and one of its main issues is ICT 3. The National ICT Policy has been approved by stakeholders, and is due to be presented to Cabinet for approval 12

14 3 Local Government In Uganda 3.1 Structure of Local Government System in Uganda Organization of the Local Government System in Uganda The system of Local Government in Uganda is based on the district, as a unit under which there are lower Local Governments and Administrative Units. The Local Government system consists of Local Government Councils administering and /or providing services to demarcated geographic areas spanning from villages (which are administered by Local Government Council I) to districts (which are administered by Local Government Council V). Local councils are mandated with executive powers to formulate policies and provide services to the population they lead. The difference between the various levels of local government councils depends on responsibilities mandated for that level, geographical size of the unit and number of inhabitants of the unit. Uganda at the moment has 56 districts and about 890 Sub counties. The geographical units administered by each level of the local councils are shown in the Figure 3.1 below. Local councils are either administrative unit councils i.e. perform only administrative duties but no service delivery functions, or local government councils i.e. perform both administrative and service delivery functions. Figure 3.1 below shows the various levels of the local councils and also whether they are local government councils or administrative unit councils. Figure 3.1: Local Government Structure in Uganda Local Government Councils Administrative Unit Councils Levels and corresponding geographical Units Local Council V District Local Council IV County Local Council III Sub-county Local Council II Parish Local Council I Village Responsibilities of Local Governments in Uganda This Section outlines the responsibilities of both the (Central) Government and local governments in Uganda. Functions and services for which Central Government is responsible 1. Arms, ammunitions and explosives 2. Defense, Security, maintenance of law and order 13

15 3. Banks, banking, promissory notes, currency and exchange control 4. Taxation and taxation policy 5. Citizenship, immigration, emigration, refugees, deportation, extradition, passport and national identity cards 6. Copyrights, patents and trade marks and all forms of intellectual property, incorporation and regulation of business organizations 7. Land, mines, mineral and water resources and the environment 8. National Parks 9. Public holidays, 10. National monuments, antiquities, archives and public records 11. Foreign relations and external trade 12. The regulation of trade and Commerce 13. Making national plans for provision of services and coordinating plans made by Local Governments 14. National elections 15. Energy Policy 16. Transport and Communication Policy 17. National census and statistics 18. Public Services of Uganda 19. The Judiciary 20. National Standards 21. Education Policy 22. National Surveys and mappings 23. Industrial Policy 24. Forests and game reserve policy 25. National research policy 26. Control and Management of epidemics and disasters 27. Health policy 28. Agricultural policy Functions and Services for which District Councils (Local Govt) are responsible 1. Education services, which cover nursery, primary, secondary, trade, special education and technical education 2. Medical and health services which include:- (a) Hospitals, other than those providing referral and medical training (b) Health centers, dispensaries, sub- dispensaries and first aid posts (c) Maternity and child welfare services (d) The control of communicable diseases, including HIV, Leprosy and TB (e) Control of spread of disease in the district (f) Rural ambulance services (g) Primary health care services (h) Vector control (i) Environmental sanitation (j) Health education 3. Water Services: The provision and maintenance of water supplies 4. Road services: Construction and rehabilitation of maintenance of roads not under the responsibility of government 5. Other services such as (a) Crop, animal and fisheries husbandry extension services (b) Human resource management and development (c) Recurrent and development budgets (d) District statistical services 14

16 (e) District planning (f) Local government development planning (g) Land ad ministration (h) Land surveying (i) Physical planning (j) Forests and wetland (k) Licensing of produce buying (l) Trade license (m) Trade development services (n) Commercial inspectorate (o) Co-operative development (p) Industrial relations (q) Social rehabilitation (r) Labour matters (s) Probation and welfare (t) Street children and orphans (u) Women in development (v) Community development (w) Youth affairs (x) Cultural affairs Functions and Services, which District Councils may devolve to Sub-county Council 1. Provision of nursery and Primary education 2. Provision of agricultural ancillary filed services 3. Provision and control of soil erosion and protection of local wetlands 4. Control of local hunting and fishing 5. Provision of (a) Hygiene services and health and health units other than health centres (b) Adult education (c) Community based health care services 6. The provision and Management of ferries 7. The provision and measures to prevent and contain food shortages, including relief of work 8. Markets establishment, management and collection of revenue 9. The establishment, control and management of recreation grounds, open spaces and parks 10. The making, altering, diversion and maintenance of works, paths, culverts, bridges, road drains and water courses 11. Measures requiring owners and occupiers of land of premises to close and keep free from vegetation any road adjoining their land or premises 12. The enforcement of (a) Standards of buildings and standards of maintenance of buildings (b) Proper methods for the disposal of refuse 13. The control of trading centres, markets and landing sites and the carrying on the local industries and the organisation and encouragement of local trade 14. The provision of community development schemes as may be approved by the District Council 15. The maintenance of community roads 16. Protection and maintenance of local water resources 17. Maintenance of community infrastructure Functions of Administrative Unit Councils At county level; 1. To advise area Members of Parliament on the matters pertaining to the county 15

17 2. At the County and Parish levels to resolve problems or disputes referred to it by relevant Sub-County or village councils 3. Resolve problems identified at that level 4. To monitor the delivery of services within its area of jurisdiction 5. Assist in maintenance of laws, order and security At the Parish or Village Executive Committee; 1. Assists in implementation of law, order and security 2. Initiate, encourage, support and participate in self help projects and mobilise people, material and technical assistance 3. At the Village level, vet and recommend persons in the area who should be recruited into the armed forces, 4. Serve as a communication Channel between Government, District and the people in the area 5. Generally monitor projects and other activities undertaken by the Government, Local Governments and NGOs in their area. Number of Staff employed at District Level There has been no formal establishment structure for the Districts, which has resulted in some irregularities in hiring staff for the Districts. Therefore officials in charge are reluctant to disclose their numbers of staff in the entire district establishments. There is currently a staff restructuring exercise going on by the Ministry of Public Service in collaboration with Ministry of Local Government to correct this problem. Estimated numbers of officers in the districts should be available by October From our own observations we estimate that there are between 50 to 100 persons for smaller and newer Districts, and over 200 persons for older/bigger districts. 3.2 Urban and Rural configuration in Uganda Except for Kampala district, the capital city of Uganda, the rest of the districts in Uganda are such that each district has a few urban centers, and the rural part with the majority of the area and population. An urban center could be a Town, Municipality, or City depending on the number of inhabitants in the area. The number of inhabitants for each urban unit is: - a town has above 25,000 inhabitants; a municipality has above 100,000 inhabitants while a city has above 500,000 inhabitants. The majority of the people in all the districts of Uganda live in rural areas; only 11% of the total population of Uganda lives in urban centers. Figures obtained from the 1991 census showed that the total population of Uganda then was 16.6 million people; the table below shows the area and population of each district with the population divided into those living in rural areas and those living in urban centres and also by gender. Since 1991, 11 new districts listed in the same Table under Category B have been created out of the old ones and the current population is estimated to be 22.6 million 16

18 Category A: Districts in existance by 1991 District Region Area Male Female Rural Urban Total Percent sub (Km 2 ) population population population population population Urban '(%) counties 1 Adjumani Northern 3, ,323 49,941 94,156 2,108 96, Apac Northern 6, , , ,721 5, , Arua Northern 4, , , ,229 26, , Bugiri Eastern 5, , , ,735 4, , Bundibugyo Western 2, ,816 58, ,351 9, , Bushenyi Western 4, , , ,942 14, , Busia Eastern ,400 84, ,630 27, , Gulu Northern 11, , , ,130 38, , Hoima Western 5, ,547 98, ,235 4, , Iganga Eastern 7, , , ,046 39, , Jinja Eastern , , ,583 80, , Kabale Western 1, , , ,972 29, , Kabarole Western 8, , , ,846 36, , Kalangala Central 9, ,929 6,442 14,995 1,376 16, Kampala Central , , , , Kamuli Eastern 4, , , ,952 8, , Kapchorwa Eastern 1, ,577 58, ,098 4, , Kasese Western 3, , , ,709 39, , Katakwi Eastern 2, ,434 73, ,104 3, , Kibaale Western 4, , , ,853 2, , Kiboga Central 4, ,538 69, ,330 5, , Kisoro Western , , ,196 7, , Kitgum Northern 16, , , ,857 15, , Kotido Northern 13, , , ,304 9, , Kumi Eastern 2, , , ,945 11, , Lira Northern 7, , , ,397 27, , Luwero Central 4, , , ,977 28, , Masaka Central 4, , , ,952 73, , Masindi Western 9, , , ,444 14, , Mbale Eastern 2, , , ,682 60, , Mbarara Western 10, , , ,769 44, , Moroto Northern 14, ,061 94, ,436 12, , Moyo Northern 4, ,731 40,650 72,702 6,679 79, Mpigi Central 6, , , , , , Mubende Central 6, , , ,435 34, , Mukono Central 14, , , ,869 98, , Nakasongola Central 4, ,473 50,024 92,183 8, , Nebbi Northern 2, , , ,923 23, , Ntungamo Western 2, , , ,611 2, , Pallisa Eastern 1, , , ,729 2, , Rakai Central 4, , , ,632 14, , Rukungiri Western 2, , , ,795 12, , Sembabule Central 2, ,206 71, ,588 3, , Soroti Eastern 10, , , ,012 42, , Tororo Eastern 1, , , ,287 35, , Total -Uganda 244, ,185, ,485, ,782, ,889, ,671, Category B: Districts created after Kaberamaido Eastern 2 Kamwenge Western 3 Kanungu Western 4 Kayunga Central 8 5 Kyenjojo Central 6 Mayuge Eastern 7 Nakapiripirit Northern 8 Pader Northern 9 Sironko Eastern 10 Wakiso Central Yumbe Northern Note: Data on population is based on census carried out in Important Developments affecting the state of ICT in local governance Liberalization of the communications Sector Has increased Tele density and the infrastructure to improve communications Creation of post of Information Systems Officers within the district set up Created human resources necessary for identifying and securing IT resources at the districts and also foster implementation of various IT functions 17

19 3.3.3 The policy of fiscal decentralization which Government wants to introduce Will provide Local Government Councils with powers to spend on what they deem to their priorities. At the moment conditional grants provide restrictions on how local governments can spend money. Conditional grants require that money disbursed by the centre for specific sectors must be spent only on the line items under which they have been released. These funds constitute more than 60% of the district budgets Use of a commitment control system by Government Under this system, all beneficiaries of the Government Treasury ensure that they accounted for financial resources released to them in the previous quarter and also that planned activities of the next quarter are known, properly costed and budgeted for. This calls for comprehensive MIS system to monitor and enable Local Councils manage public expenditure, projects being executed and quality of services provided by contractors 18

20 4 Level Of ICT In Local Government The results of the survey finding are shown in detail in the appendix 4.1 Computer Equipment Available At Districts All the sampled districts have computer equipment. The number of computers ranges from 7 to 38; Printers range from 5 to 35 while each district has at least one photocopier. Specifications of the computers are as follows: Processor Speed: Most computers used by sampled districts have processors between 133 and 233 MHZ. Only one districts has Pentium III computers with processors of 600 MHZ RAM: Ranges between 8MB and 64MB (with the majority of the districts having PCs of 8 MB) Hard disk space: Except for one district which has computers of 800 MB, the rest of districts have computers with 2 to 10 GB with the majority of the districts (8 No.) having computers with 2-3 GB CD ROM Drives: All districts sampled have at least 3 computers with functional CD ROM drives. 6 districts (56%) have more than 10 computers with functional CD ROM drives 4.2 Level Of Access Of Computer Equipment By Staff Access to computer equipment is not easy because computers available are most of the time being used by Secretaries. In some cases, the District Planning Units, which almost always have computers, provide access to staff from other sectors. Water, Heath, Finance, Education sectors have received some computers under specific projects implemented by their line ministries but still their use appears to be limited to those specific applications and therefore restricting their use to other users. No district has successfully set up a resource centre as envisaged in the decentralization road map. 4.3 Availability Of Local Area Network (LAN) Only one district (representing 9 %) has a LAN. Further, for this one district, the LAN is connected for computers in the databank room only. 4.4 Access to telephone and/or internet/ All the districts sampled have access to telephone facilities either by use of fixed lines or mobile phones using either Uganda Telecom Limited or MTN service providers. In addition, 2 other districts use radio calls. Surprisingly though, only two districts have utilized the available telephone lines to have an operational and/or Internet access. 4.5 ICT Skill base Skill base for word processing is big in all districts and sufficient for the average target users. It was noted that in all sampled districts, computers are used mainly for wordprocessing. Skill base for spreadsheet is small, as only 4 to 15 % of the officers in all districts can use spreadsheets. 19

21 Only 2 districts (18%) demonstrated having skills in database management systems There is no skill base at all in basic computer maintenance and system support in all districts. 4.6 Future Trends In ICTs In Local Governments Future trends in the availability, use and development of ICTs in Local Government from the perceptive of the Ministry of Local Government The decentralization implementation road map, February, 2002, a plan of action by the Ministry of Local Government, identifies 6 specific areas to address over the period namely: - Fiscal decentralization, Financial Management and Accountability, Good Governance and Civic Education, Communication and Information System, Capacity Building of Local Governments, Institutional Strengthening, Co-ordination and Integration. The objective of the Communications and Information systems is to enable all stakeholders to access accurate and reliable data and/or information in a cost effective and timely manner. This includes the development of: - Communication subsystem: Publications, information centers (Resource Centers), Mechanisms of disseminating information Information subsystem. Data collection, data storage, data processing, information dissemination, computerization of accounts, payroll and records management In addition to keeping data banks up-to-day and providing secure buildings with adequate space, Local Governments will be responsible for availing competent staff over the period. In the same manual, it is recognized that one of the reasons why Local Governments are unable to adequately perform their mandated duties is due to problems related to inadequate staff competence and training in some of the basic skills required in planning and managing service delivery planning, budgeting, financial management, accounting, tendering, contract preparation etc. Interventions are being worked out in this area. 4.7 General Plans Of The Districts General plans of the districts from the perspective of the districts councils Only 3 districts (27%) have budgets for ICT and presented as part of other budget codes and projects. However, many (55%) showed interest in including an ICT budget in their annual budgets in the next 2 years and also in appointing specialized ICT personnel in key positions. In addition, for districts with ICT budgets, the actual equipment that has been procured has been increasing for every successive year. It is important to note that there is no specific line item for ICT within the districts. ICT activities have hitherto been funded under the local raised revenue, Central Government Unconditional grants, Equalisation grants and specific projects from sector Ministries like Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, NGOs, and Donors etc. Under the restructuring programme of the Ministry of Local Government, a post of Information Systems Officer has been created. Upon appointment to fill this post, it is hoped that ICT will have a budget line and obtain a reasonable part of the total budget. The budgets for the sample districts for the Financial Year 2001/2002 i.e. 1 July 2001 to 30 June 2002 are shown in the appendix 20

22 Note: Regarding the number of officers in the sample districts, most of the structures are amorphous and officials in charge are reluctant to disclose their numbers of staff in the entire district establishments. There is currently a staff restructuring exercise being carried out by the Ministry of Public Service in collaboration with Ministry of Local Government Local Governments are striving to develop and strengthen record management centres where some PCs could be used in resource centres 10 out of 11 districts (91%) have access to hydro electricity power. The one district without access to hydro electricity power has access to solar power. 6 districts have stand-by generators. 4.8 Problems Experienced By Districts The districts expressed a number of problems constraining them in the implementation of ICT. Common problems expressed are: - Problem Districts affected Number (out of 11) Low skill base to use existing equipment Inability to repair existing equipment due to lack of in-house expertise Inadequate operational funds to procure and maintain existing equipment Percentage Other problems mentioned include: - Uncoordinated ICT initiatives Lack of customized systems for service delivery functions mandated to the local governments Power fluctuations Lack of commitment and initiatives by staff 21

23 5 Experience With Distance Training In Uganda 5.1 Experience of IAE at Makerere University Experience of the Institute of Adult Education (IAE) at Makerere University General Organisation The Institute of Adult Education at Makerere University was formed to foster distance learning. Under its mandate the Institute is responsible for conducting all the distance learning programs in the University. It has 9 permanent lecturers and 2 departments namely: - the Community Education and Extra Mural Department. The Extra Mural Department is specifically responsible for running upcountry programs. It has 8 regional centres at: Mbale, Jinja, Kampala, FortPortal, Kabale, Hoima. Lira and Gulu, which are responsible for co-ordinating and providing technical support for distance learning activities in the region at which it is located. Each of these regional centres has about 3 trainers, with support staff, and carry out training needs identification, liases with the Institute to develop course materials, provides the venue for training if necessary, co-ordinates the training and acts as a one-stop-centre for information on the activities of the Institute. Where specialised staff may be required to deliver a course, the Institute sources for such staff from either specialised departments at the University or elsewhere. The Institute has also established some subcentres at Iganga, Busia, Soroti, Masindi, and Masaka for liaison purposes only IAE runs both long-term courses and short-term courses using distance learning. Some of the longterm courses conducted by the Institute are: BSc (Education), BSc, BCom Content Production The staff of IAE is not sufficient to neither deliver all the programs conducted by the Institute nor produce the materials for those courses. The approach that has been devised by the Institute is to look for and hire specialised staff and train them on how to prepare training materials for distance training (in a prescribed format) whenever a demand for a new course arises. The Institute has developed and indeed has capacity in training of material production for distance training. However, once the materials are produced, they become a property of the Institute. This approach exposes the Institute it to a big pool of resources to produce the materials and also to own such materials Mode Of Delivery Of Distance Education Courses The Institute conducts distance-learning programs using one or a combination of the following techniques: Printed Media: This is a very common method and is used in all the cases mentioned. Printed material is prepared in instruction and interactive format and given to trainees. The notes may be used in the presence or absence of an instructor. Notes are expected to be interactive enough for one to read without the instructor. Audiotapes: Training material is packaged on an audiotape. The trainee is left on his own and at his convenience to listen to a tape containing instruction materials. Electronic end use of CDs and Internet: This approach is not yet common, but is currently under development 22

24 All the methods are integrated with face-to-face sessions where an instructor actually interacts with the trainees to deliver the required material or provide clarifications on issues raised by students. In addition, the Institute also arranges group discussions in which the Centre facilitates groups of trainees from a region to meet and discuss issues in the course. An instructor does not need to attend such sessions Similar Programs Conducted By IAE Other than the long-term courses mentioned above, the department has successfully conducted the following short-term courses: 1. Basic Computer Course for Finish Refugee Council in Adjuman East Moyo County. This involved training of 8 staff of the Refugees camps. The first part was conducted in 2001 and the Second part in Planning and Management of Income Generating Projects- Luweero and Mbale districts. In Luweero, there were 30 participants while in Mbale there were 40 participants. Rockefeller Foundation funded it. Participants were mainly Community Development Officers in sub counties and also women in Community based organizations. 3. Participatory Appraisal, Mbale. The participants were Computer skills, Mbale. This is ongoing and is funded internally by the Institute. It is a package that covers Word processing, (which cost Shs 40,000/= Spreadsheets which costs Ushs 50,000/=, and DBMS which costs 50,000/=). Others courses included are Web design, Computer Graphics, Programming and Networking The African Virtual University (AVU) The African Virtual University was a 3-year project (expired in December 2001) funded by the Rockefeller University and hosted at Makerere University for enhancing Science Education in Uganda. The Institute of Adult Education hosted it. Under the project, distance training was delivered to students through a satellite to selected pilot universities in Africa including Makerere University. Since the project term expired, Makerere is now still investigating how it can be integrated into the normal university programmes. Under the project, a timetable for teaching to various regions in various courses would be arranged between pilot universities and the co-ordinating centre in Washington. An instructor, physically seated in Washington would deliver the course via satellite and students would receive lectures live on TV screens at Makerere University or any other pilot centre. Special time would be allocated for students to ask questions although answers to such questions would not be provided immediately but later. Materials would be prepared (originally by scholars in the US but later scholars from Africa were encouraged to prepare them) and sent to the US for vetting. Authors of approved courses would be invited to go to the US and deliver the course in a similar way. Originally the only uploading centre for the AVU project was in Washington. However, by the time of the project expiry, a centre for East and Central Africa Region had been created at Nairobi. 5.2 Experience of the DISH Distance Learning Project Delivery of Improved Services for Health (DISH), an NGO operating in Uganda within the Health Sector implemented this project. The objective of the distance-learning project was to: - 23