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.

Copyright Information:

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.

Other Useful Resources:

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.

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Communities in NRU

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 12

Recent Submissions

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Perception as a mediator between service quality, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty: evidence from savings and credit cooperatives (SACCOs) in Uganda
(Taylor & Francis group, 2026-01-14) Sandra Esagala;; Peter Dithan Ntale
savings and credit cooperatives (saccOs) in Uganda continue to face challenges infostering and sustaining member loyalty despite ongoing improvements in servicequality. Persistent member turnover, limited trust and weak relational bonds raisequestions about how service quality and satisfaction translate into enduring loyalty.this study examined the mediating role of customer perception in the relationshipsamong service quality, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in Ugandan saccOs.guided by expectation confirmation theory (ect), a cross-sectional quantitative designwas employed using 384 distributed questionnaires, of which 196 were valid. Data wereanalyzed using correlation, hierarchical regression and mediation techniques. resultsrevealed significant positive associations among all key variables and confirmed thatcustomer perception partially mediates the effects of both service quality andsatisfaction on loyalty, accounting for 27.9% of the variance in the outcome variable.these findings highlight that while service quality directly influences loyalty, much ofits impact operates through members’ cognitive evaluations of fairness, value and trust.the study contributes to the service quality–loyalty literature by positioning perceptionas a critical cognitive mechanism in cooperative finance. in practice, it proposes aperception-centered framework for strengthening trust and loyalty through transparentcommunication, responsive service delivery and technology-driven solutions, includingmobile banking and digital service platforms, to enhance the member experience andinstitutional resilience.
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Compressive strength and cost-effectiveness of confined waste plastic bottle brick masonry walls
(Taylor & Francis group, 2026-01-14) Masaba, Emmison Eric;; Kyakula, Micheal;; Ssenyondo, Vicent
Uganda faces a substantial housing deficit, and escalating construction costs resulting from unsustainable extraction of construction materials and inadequate management of plastic and sawdust waste. This study evaluates the compressive strength and cost effectiveness of Plastic Bottle Brick (PBB) masonry walls as a potential substitute for conventional concrete block walls in Mbale City, Uganda. The work specifically addresses the limited empirical evidence concerning the behaviour of vertically oriented confined PBB units incorporating uncompressed air (EB), sawdust (SD) and pit sand (PS). Compressive strength testing showed that PS walls achieved a strength of 0.6 ± 0.02 MPa, comparable to hollow concrete block (HCB) walls (0.6 ± 0.06 MPa). SD and EB walls exhibited lower strengths of 0.3 ± 0.05 MPa and 0.3 ± 0.03 MPa, respectively, below the strength of solid concrete block (SCB) walls (0.8 ± 0.03 MPa). All PBB walls demonstrated higher failure strains (1.8–2.0%) than concrete block walls (1.0–1.2%). The cost-benefit analysis considering materials, labour, time utilisation and carbon emissions costs found that EB blocks were the most economical (USD 3.22/UGX 11,694), while SCB were the least economical (USD 7.97). PBB production was commercially feasible, with casting time only 17% slower than conventional block production.
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Financial development, inclusion, credit supply and economic growth: an empirical study of East Africa
(Taylor & Francis group, 2026-01-11) Abdissa Demise Damasa;; Jayamohan M. K.;; Wondaferahu Mulugeta Demissie
This study investigates the dynamic linkages between financial sector development, financial inclusion, credit supply, and economic growth in East Africa, drawing on financial intermediation theory, endogenous growth and finance–growth nexus models. It examines how improved financial infrastructure enhances credit access and inclusion, thereby influencing long-term growth. Using annual panel data from 1990 to 2023 for Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, composite indices for financial development, credit supply, and inclusion were constructed via Principal Component Analysis. Dynamic heterogeneous panel models, including pooled mean group, mean group, and dynamic fixed effects were applied, with robustness checks using fully modified ordinary least square, canonical cointegration regression, feasible generalized least square and Dumitrescu and Hurlin causality tests. Results show financial development significantly boosts inclusion and credit in the long run, with credit supply positively linked to growth, though high lending rates constrain expansion. Causality test reveals a long-run unidirectional link from financial development indicators to growth, with no short-run effects. Policy implications highlight deepening reforms, raising incomes, and regulating interest rates and public spending to foster inclusion and sustainable growth, while addressing regional disparities and structural barriers.
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Decentralized education in Somalia: lessons from East African models
(Taylor & Francis group, 2026-01-07) Mohamed Yusuf Adan;; Said Abubakar Ahmedt
This study analyzes decentralized education reforms in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzaniaand derives actionable lessons for Somalia’s evolving federal system. Adopting a con-ceptual, comparative, and narrative review of peer-reviewed literature, governmentdocuments, and policy reports, the analysis is organized around administrative, fiscal,and political dimensions of decentralization. Evidence from East Africa indicates thatdevolution expands access and strengthens accountability when subnational author-ities receive clear mandates, predictable intergovernmental transfers, and institutional-ized avenues for community participation. However, capacity asymmetries, politicizeddecision-making, and weak oversight can entrench spatial inequities and erode qual-ity. Somalia’s context, fragmented federalism, donor dependence, irregular fiscal flows,and a dominant private sector amid low enrolment, amplifies these risks. The studyproposes four priority reforms: transparent, formula-based fiscal equalization to pro-mote equity, clarified federal–state roles to reduce duplication and improve imple-mentation, legally empowered school- and community-level accountabilitymechanisms, and integration of private providers through standards, routine datareporting, and performance-linked regulation. It further argues that digital public infra-structure can bolster monitoring, financial transparency, and learning assessmentwhere administrative capacity is thin. The paper contributes to education governancein fragile settings by translating regional experience into a sequenced, context-sensitive reform agenda for Somalia.
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Temporal variability and flooding influence the ecological niche of Biomphalaria intermediate hosts for Schistosoma mansoni in rural Uganda
(The royal society publishing, 2026-01-26) Iacovidou, Melissa A.;; Byaruhanga, Anatol M.;; Besigye, Fred ;; Nabatte, Betty;; Kabatereine, Narcis B.;; Chami, Goylette F.
Understanding the niches of intermediate hosts and vectors for environmentally transmitted pathogens is crucial for identifying endemic areas, assessing habitat suitability and targeting interventions. This study focuses on intermediate hosts of intestinal schistosomes, with over 700 million people at risk of lifelong infection. We compared habitat suitability and species interactions across 674 sites in 52 villages in rural Uganda between 2022 and 2024, capturing a severe flooding event. Spatiotemporal models incorporating a polygon-based method to account for space with time as a fixed effect were developed to analyse snail abundance for Biomphalaria sudanica and B. stanleyi. B. sudanica was associated with marshy sites near lake shorelines and presence of hyacinths, while B. stanleyi was more likely to be found in deeper waters with Vallisneria plants. However, cohabitation was common for both species. Habitat suitability for each species fluctuated temporally, and more starkly with extreme flooding, resulting in switching of species dominance. Our study suggests that events consistent with climate change may influence habitat suitability without necessitating an expansion of environmental areas. Our models enable tracking of dynamic ecological niches that, if replicated elsewhere and for other intermediate hosts or vectors, can be used to better target environmental and community interventions as environmental conditions change. MEDLINE