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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Now showing 1 - 5 of 12

Recent Submissions

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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
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Local specialists’ experience and skills in animal behaviour studies: insights from wild chimpanzee field assistants
(The royal society publishing, 2026-01-21) Soldati, Adrian;; Fedurek, Pawel;; Eleuteri, Vesta ;; Zuberbühler, Klaus;; Call, Josep;; Muhumuza, Geresomu;; Mbotella, Monday;; Adue, Sam;; Boscou, Chandia;; Asua, Jackson;; Lomoro, Dennis;; Muhanguzi, Geoffrey;; Dezecache, Guillaume
The study of wild animal behaviour and cognition has greatly benefited from the foundational work of local specialists (LSs), particularly field assistants. In primate research, long-term studies rely on accurate identification and tracking of individuals-a skill often honed by LSs and passed on to international specialists (ISs). Despite growing recognition in publications, LSs' scientific contributions often remain undervalued. Here, we show that LSs at the Budongo Conservation Field Station (Uganda) reliably extract acoustic information (caller identity, sex and age, call components and production context) from long-distance pant hoot calls produced by wild chimpanzees. Importantly, LSs significantly outperform ISs at identifying individuals (LS accuracy = 50% (95% confidence interval (CI): 45-56%); IS accuracy = 8% (95% CI: 5-11%)), an important skill for recognizing and locating individuals in dense forests. LSs' performance was positively associated with duration of working experience. Given the limited field time of ISs (typically 1-2 years), LSs' expertise and longer commitment (mean 16.75 years) represent an essential yet underacknowledged scientific resource. Our study highlights LSs' critical role in ethological research-not only enhancing skills and data quality, but also potentially helping address both ethical (e.g. community involvement) and environmental (e.g. travel carbon footprint) challenges linked to fieldwork in remote locations. MEDLINE
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Five decades of globalisation and growth: a cross-country causal analysis of low-income economies
(Elsevier, 2026-01-23) Danushi Rathnayake;; Irushi Sandanayaka;; Piyara Wijesuriya ;; Dinithi Athalage; Ruwan Jayathilaka
Comprehending the dynamic between globalisation and economic growth in low-income nations is vital to understanding how they navigate growth trajectories whilst addressing global concerns. This study examined the nexus between globalisation and its financial, social, and political facets in relation to growth in fourteen low-income nations. The analysis spanned over five decades and the Wavelet Coherence and Granger Causality methodologies. The findings revealed a bidirectional causal relationship between globalisation and growth in Rwanda, unidirectional causal flows in Burundi, Sierra Leone, Sudan, and Uganda. A bidirectional relationship between economic integration and growth was identified in Burkina Faso. Possible policy actions aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals have been developed, focusing on the country-specific dynamics of each nation. These policy recommendations comprise introducing incentives for foreign investments in Rwanda and liberalising trade in Burkina Faso to reinforce economic globalisation. The study also recommends the expansion of digital infrastructure and global educational avenues in Burundi and Uganda to strengthen social integration, and the reinforcement of governance mechanisms in Chad and Togo to encourage political integration. This study contributes to the globalisation-growth literature by offering time-sensitive insights into the growth trajectories of low-income economies.
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Gendered sweetpotato trait preferences and implications for improved variety acceptance in Uganda
(Wiley Periodicals LLC, 2023-10-03) Mulwa, Chalmers K.;; Campos, Hugo;; Bayiyana, Irene ;; Rajendran, Srinivasulu;; Ssali, Reuben;; McEwan, Margaret;; Heck, Simon
The principal selection objective in crop breeding has for a long time been driven by agronomic gains like yield maximization and climate resilience. Nevertheless, the continued low adoption of new varieties and documented gender technology adoption gap has triggered re‐thinking of this strategy, with end‐user acceptability of released varieties a key strategy in breeding objectives. Using a mixed‐methods approach with a survey of 122 producers and focus group discussions with 200 male and female producers in two major sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam] producing districts in Uganda, this study set out to understand gender‐disaggregated traits that drive acceptance for improved sweetpotato varieties as a guide to development of new varieties in the region. A generalized structural equation model approach is used to analyze how interrelated trait preferences shape acceptance for improved varieties, while in‐depth insights from a qualitative approach are used to further ground observed results. Traits such as high root yields, drought tolerance, and vitamin A are shown to be key drivers to acceptance of improved varieties, while good taste and dry matter content dampen acceptance of improved varieties in favor of landraces. Male farmers are also shown to mainly prefer agronomic traits such as high yields and stress tolerance, while women mostly prefer quality traits such as good taste, vitamin A, and high dry matter content. To achieve higher acceptability and adoption of improved varieties across the gender divide, new varieties need to not only consider agronomic gains, but also quality‐related traits such as taste and dry matter content. AGRICOLA
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Co-designing family planning interventions: Insights from religious leaders in urban eastern Uganda
(Elsevier, 2026-01-20) Jacquellyn Nambi Ssanyu;; Catherine Birabwa;; Kharim Mwebaza Muluya ;; Felix Kizito;; Sarah Namutamba;; Moses Kyangwa;; Othman Kakaire;; Peter Waiswa;; Rornald Muhumuza Kananura
Background: In Uganda, religion strongly influences family planning (FP) practices, yet religious leaders are often excluded from FP program design and delivery. Engaging them meaningfully could help address misconceptions and improve voluntary FP uptake. Methods: We applied Community-Based Participatory Action Research and Human-Centered Design to engage 16 religious leaders from Muslim, Catholic, Anglican, and Pentecostal faiths in Jinja City and Iganga Municipality, eastern Uganda. Faith-specific discussions were conducted using a structured agenda and co-moderated by participants. Data from audio recordings and notes were transcribed, translated, and analyzed thematically. Results: All religious leaders expressed openness to FP but differed in their definitions and preferred methods. Christian leaders associated FP with responsible parenthood and manageable family sizes, while Muslim leaders emphasized parental responsibility without limiting fertility, stressing faith in divine provision. Natural methods were widely accepted, while hormonal methods were met with caution due to health concerns. There was unanimous opposition to providing FP to unmarried adolescents, with abstinence endorsed as the only acceptable option. Leaders welcomed the opportunity to share FP messages through their platforms, provided materials were accurate, respectful of religious values, and comprehensive in scope. Conclusions: Religious leaders can play a pivotal role in advancing FP awareness and acceptance when engaged as partners in design and messaging. Programs should prioritize culturally sensitive communication, clarify misconceptions, and co-create strategies that align with faith-based perspectives. These approaches can enhance trust, shift social norms, and improve access to FP services, especially in communities where religious influence is strong.