The National Research Repository of Uganda - NRU

Welcome to the National Research Repository of Uganda, abbreviated as "NRU". NRU was established in 2021. NRU is a collection of scholarly output by researchers from the UNCST Community, including scholarly articles and books, electronic theses and dissertations, conference proceedings, journals, technical reports and digitised library collections. It is the official Institutional Archive (IA) of UNCST.

For information about the publishers' copyright policy on archiving your articles online or in an institutional archive, visit the Sherpa Site at http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo.php The site gives a summary of the permissions normally given as part of each publisher's copyright transfer agreement. If you wish to publish your research findings in the NRU, please contact NRU administrator at admin@uncst.go.ug for details. NRU operates both open access and closed access models. Access to fulltext has been restricted in adherence to the UNCST Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and Copyrights policies.

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Africa Portal is an online repository of open access library collection with over 3,000 books, journals, and digital documents on African policy issues. This is an initiative by the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), Makerere University (MAK), and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA). Please visit the Africa Portal at http://www.africaportal.org/library.

Communities in NRU

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 10

Books and Book Abstracts
This community contains Open Access Books and Book Abstracts
Conference Proceedings
This community contains Ugandan Conference proceedings
Institutional Annual Research Reports
This community contains consolidated Ugandan Institutional Annual Research Reports on a broad range of subjects
Institutional Repository Policies
This community contains approved and running institutional repository policies from different research institutions
IT DevOps Communinity
IT DevOps Community

Recent Submissions

Linking soil fertility management practices to perceptions of soil fertility status among smallholder farmers in Kabarole District and Fort Portal City, Western Uganda
(Taylor & Francis Group, 2026-07-17)
Wacal, Cosmas;
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Sekajugo, John;
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Agole, David ;
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Candia, Geoffrey;
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Nyamweha, Bruce;
Declining soil fertility remains a major constraint to agricultural productivity and livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Uganda. This study assessed the adoption of soil fertility management practices and their association with perceived soil fertility status among smallholder farmers in Kabarole District and Fort Portal City, Western Uganda. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 300 randomly selected farmers. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were used to analyze the relationship between perceived soil fertility status and adoption of management practices. Results showed that 77.3% perceived their soils as having low fertility, mainly due to continuous cropping, soil erosion, and deforestation. Conservation tillage (53%), mulching (46%), and manure application (35%) were the most adopted practices, although overall adoption remained low. Moreover, binary logistic regression revealed that conservation tillage (OR = 1.92, p = 0.037) and manure application (OR = 3.34, p = 0.002) were significantly associated with farmers reporting low soil fertility, whereas chemical fertilizers (OR = 0.36, p = 0.022) and intercropping (OR = 0.42, p = 0.011) were associated with fertile soils. These findings highlight the need to promote integrated soil fertility management practices and validate farmers' perceptions through laboratory soil analyses to guide evidence-based interventions.
Industrial symbiosis and scalability of smallholder farming in Uganda
(Taylor & Francis Group, 2026-09-02)
Kasimu Sendawula;
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Jude Thaddeo Mugarura;
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Peter Turyakira ;
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Reem Fihran Alshehri;
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Shamirah Najjinda;
This study explored smallholder farmers’ perceptions of scalability, the industrial symbiotic practices they undertake, and the contribution of industrial symbiosis to farm scalability in Uganda. A multiple case study design was adopted, involving a purposive sample of 35 smallholder farmers from registered farmer groups in Luwero District, with data saturation reached at the 29th interview. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted in the local language to ensure depth and clarity. It was then analyzed using thematic content analysis to identify key patterns and themes. The findings indicate that smallholder farmers perceive scalability as a multidimensional, practice-based process characterized by increased production, market expansion, efficient resource utilization, and enhanced operational capacity. Scalability is viewed as a dynamic process embedded in everyday farming activities. Industrial symbiosis is practiced through waste reuse, crop-livestock integration, alternative feed production, resource sharing, and knowledge exchange. These practices improve productivity, efficiency, and income, making industrial symbiosis a practical strategy for achieving farm scalability in resource-constrained settings. The study contributes to knowledge by providing a contextually grounded understanding of smallholder farm scalability, moving beyond linear interpretations. It offers empirical evidence on farm-level industrial symbiosis and demonstrates how these practices enhance productivity, efficiency, and adaptive capacity, providing novel insights into how resource-constrained farmers in Uganda achieve scalability.
Debt, revenue, and growth: empirical analysis of the determinants of Uganda’s government expenditure trajectory
(Taylor & Francis Group, 2026-05-09)
Robert Wadada;
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Felix Wamono;
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John Bosco Asiimwe ;
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Paul Okitoi
Various theories provide useful accounts of how government expenditure is deter-mined. However, due to a mix of national and global events. It is difficult to ascertainthe actual determinants. This study investigates government expenditure determi-nants. A time series from 1st July 1997 to 1st December 2025 from the Ministry ofFinance, Planning, and Economic Development (MFPED) data portal was utilized.Descriptive statistics, unit root tests, cointegration, optimal lag tests, and the Pesaranand Shin test for establishing the level relationships for the ARDL model were con-ducted. Over the period, total public expenditure was averaged at UGX 1213 billionwhile mean tax revenues amounted to UGX 809.97 billion. Debt/grants stood at anaverage of UGX 79.4 billion. Economic activity averaged 114.8%, and the value ofexports was approximately US$ 243.3 million. Tax revenues boost governmentexpenditure while debt puts it down. Reinforcing Wagner’s Law, the correlationrevealed that higher economic activity and export volumes hyped the governmentexpenditure. Tax revenue, debt, exports, and economic activity positively determinegovernment expenditure in the long run. The positive effect of tax revenue reflectsthe tax-to-spend hypothesis. The first differences of tax revenue, debt, and exportsharm government expenditure in the short run, except for economic activity.
Teachers’ instructional practices reflecting Mathematics for Sustainable Development implementation in secondary schools in Uganda
(Taylor & Francis Group, 2026-06-09)
Ismael Gaanya;
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Marjorie Sarah K. Batiibwe;
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Bettina Dahl
This paper explores the mathematics teachers’ practices during the implementation ofMathematics for Sustainable Development (Math4SD) in lower secondary schools inUganda. The study used a qualitative case study research design with an embeddedprofessional development intervention. Data was collected using lesson observationfield notes, interviews, and students’ focus group discussions. The study adopted thetheory of learning levels of accommodation, reformation, and transformation to evalu-ate teachers’ knowledge of SDGs integration in modelling Math4SD tasks when teach-ing business mathematics. In addition, 21st-century skills such as critical thinking,creative thinking, communication, and collaboration, associated with Math4SD teach-ing, were analysed. The study findings revealed that collaboration skill was the mostexercised skill during the Math4SD teaching and learning process. Considering teach-ers’ Math4SD modelling practices, the transformation level was the most challengingfor teachers to apply. The findings further revealed that teachers’ Math4SD tasks werehighly related to the social and economic SD domains, possibly due to the businessmathematics-related topics teachers used. The study therefore recommends furtherresearch on integrating the SDGS in Mathematics at the secondary school level, usingtopics unrelated to business mathematics.
Psychological effects, coping strategies, and challenges of patient deaths on nurses at Mulago National Referral Hospital, Kampala, Uganda: A qualitative study
(Journal of Nursing Advances in Clinical Sciences, 2026-05-04)
Samuel Ssanyu Balamaga;
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Kinahirwe Patience
Nurses frequently encounter patient deaths, which can lead to psychological stress, yet little is known about these effects in Ugandan healthcare settings. Without institutional support, nurses may experience grief, emotional fatigue, and burnout, affecting their wellbeing and performance. The current study explored the psychological effects, coping strategies, and challenges of patient deaths on nurses working at Mulago National Referral Hospital, Uganda. This was a qualitative, exploratory study involving six individual interviews and one focus group with eight nurses (14 participants in total). Data were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed to identify emotional effects, coping strategies, and challenges. Nurses reported immediate distress, anger, sadness, feelings of inadequacy, and eventual emotional desensitization. Coping strategies included peer support, prayer, acceptance, and avoidance. Challenges included a lack of psychological support, high workloads, and emotional exhaustion. Patient deaths significantly impact nurses, who rely on informal coping mechanisms. Healthcare facilities should integrate psychological support systems, resilience training, and policies allowing recovery time.