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.

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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.

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 12

Recent Submissions

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    Disentangling Inequality and Exploitation in the Rice Value Chain in Northern Uganda
    (Department of Social Science and Business, Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark, 2026-04-20)
    Nystrand, Malin J.
    Although inequality between actors in agricultural value chains has been extensively studied, informal and semiformal arrangements in domestic value chains involving small‐scale actors have been explored less than formal arrangements involving large firms. This study contributes to this literature, firstly, by suggesting a novel analytical framework for analysing inequality and exploitation and the agency of actors within an unequal value‐chain relationship; and secondly, by applying it to the relationship between rice millers and rice farmers in Gulu in northern Uganda, i.e., to one node in a larger rice value chain. This study explores this relationship in a situation of high levels of competition between millers, potentially strengthening farmers' bargaining power. The form and degree of inequality and exploitation in the relationship are analytically disentangled by applying the analytical framework, combining Graeber's conceptualization of exchange and hierarchy with Snyder's definitions of exploitation. The study shows that, although the relationship is still characterized by inequality and has exploitative features, farmers can and do exit from the relationship. CrossRef
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    Land, informal employment, and fertility preferences in rural southwestern Uganda: A qualitative study
    (Taylor & Francis Group, 2026-05-18)
    Atahigwa, Catherine;
    ;
    Coene, Gily;
    ;
    Neema Murembe, Clementia ;
    ;
    Lafaut, Dirk
    Abstract Land and informal work remain central to rural livelihoods in Uganda, yet their role in shaping fertility preferences is not well understood. This qualitative study examined how land ownership and informal livelihoods influence men’s and women’s fertility decision-making in rural southwestern Uganda. We conducted 15 focus group discussions and 30 in-depth interviews with women (18–49) and men (18–54) of reproductive age in Rubirizi district. Interviews were conducted in the local language, audio-recorded, transcribed, translated into English, and thematically analyzed. Findings show that participants often linked land ownership to men’s preferences for large families, grounded in lineage continuity, provision, and social standing, even as land availability declined. Women described limited land rights under customary tenure as constraining their economic security and bargaining space in fertility-related decisions. Informal livelihoods were portrayed as enabling household survival, but were financially unstable, shaping many women’s preferences for smaller families, while limiting their ability to act on these preferences. This study highlights how participants described land relations and livelihood insecurity as gendered influences on the formation and negotiation of fertility preferences in agrarian settings.
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    Determinants of pass-through of international oil prices to domesticconsumer fuel prices: evidence from Uganda
    (The Body of Expert and Licensed Accountants of Romania, 2026-05-04)
    Isaac Peter OTAI;
    ;
    Barbara Deborah Erima BIRUNGI
    Debtor management is a critical determinant of the financial health of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This study examined the effect of debtor management on the financial performance of hardware SMEs in Mukono, Uganda. Using Yamane’s (1967) formula at a 95% confidence level, a representative sample of 55 SMEs was determined. A stratified random sampling technique was employed to ensure coverage across municipality divisions, with a proportionate selection of respondents. Using a descriptive and correlational design, data was collected from owners, managers, and accounts staff through structured questionnaires and analysed using descriptive and regression techniques. Findings revealed that debtors’ management practices (debt collection practices and debtors turnover) positively and significantly influence financial performance (liquidity and profitability). The study concludes that effective debtor management enhances financial performance and sustainability in the hardware sector. It recommends that SMEs strengthen credit policies, adopt robust collection mechanisms, and train staff in receivables management to improve performance.
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    Unlocking Ugandan pumpkin landrace diversity: integratedmorphological and nutritional profiling for food security andbreeding innovation
    (Taylor & Francis Group, 2026-04-13)
    Fred Bwayo Masika;
    ;
    Godwin Anywar;
    ;
    Mahipal Singh Kesawat ;
    ;
    Gabriel Ddamulira;
    ;
    Caro Kawuma;
    Pumpkins (Cucurbita spp.) are vital for food and nutritional security in Uganda, yet their full potential remains underexploited due to the limited characterization of traits. To address this, 91 landraces, 21 Cucurbita pepo and 70 Cucurbita moschata were collected from 19 districts across major agroecological zones, evaluated for morpholological and nutritional diversity. Results revealed wide phenotypic variation with fruit weights ranging from 0.5 to 10.0 kg and shapes varying from discoid (L/D 0.44) to highly elongated (L/D 4.00). Fruit size and shape were independent axes of variation. Regionally, Buganda and Bunyoro landraces produced larger fruits, averaging 3.84 kg and 4.07 kg, while West Nile landraces formed a distinct nutrient-rich cluster, with high dry matter (22.8%), lipids (3.75% fresh weight (FW), fiber (3.34% FW), and carbohydrates (4.07% FW). District-specific differences were also observed, with Mpigi landraces rich in phenolics content (0.062 ± 0.0023 g GAE/100 g), and Mukono landraces rich in proteins (0.000887 g/100 g). Importantly, external morphology poorly predicted internal nutritional quality, highlighting the need for direct biochemical profiling in breeding programs. This study provides Uganda’s first nationally structured dataset on pumpkin diversity, offering a scientific foundation for targeted germplasm conservation, nutrient-enriched cultivar development and policy interventions to strengthen food systems across diverse agroecological zones in Uganda.
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    Seasonal dynamics of Elaeidobius Kamerunicus in allopatric populations: comparative analysis from indigenous mainland and introduced oil palm ecosystems in Uganda’s lake Victoria islands
    (Taylor & Francis Group, 2026-02-04)
    Fred Bwayo Masika;
    ;
    Amugoli Moses Otuba;
    ;
    Mahipal Singh Kesawat ;
    ;
    Alex Asiimwe;
    ;
    Bidget Baguma;
    Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis L.), native to Africa but widely cultivated in Southeast Asia, isincreasingly grown in Uganda, and pollination efficiency is critical for fruit set and oilyield. The study assessed the population and sexual diversity of the primary pollinator,Elaeidobius kamerunicus FAUST, in introduced hybrid plantations in Kalangala andnatural stands in Bundibugyo. Pollinator weevils were sampled across both wet anddry seasons in 2022 and 2023, and data were analyzed using ANOVA and correlationtests in Minitab 17. Results revealed significant variation between sites, with higherpopulations in Kalangala (7,503 ± 8.682) compared to Bundibugyo (5,164 ± 5.829).Furthermore, females (6,636 ± 4.646) outnumbered males (6,032 ± 5.028), with a slightlyhigher concentration of females in the middle section of male inflorescences. Seasonaldifferences were evident, as the wet season supported slightly higher weevil popula-tions relative to the dry season. Correlation analysis indicated a weak negative relation-ship between weevil abundance and weather variables, suggesting that coolerconditions suppress population growth. Overall, Uganda provides favorable conditionsfor pollinator weevil multiplication, particularly under moist climatic regimes, whileextensive cold conditions limit population expansion. These findings highlight theimportance of pollinator dynamics in sustaining oil palm productivity in diverse agro-ecological regions.