Browsing by Author "Ojok, James Onono"

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    Communication inside the LRA: Militarization of Acoli Language, a Cultural Patriotism or mere Rebel Indoctrination?
    (East African Nature and Science Organization, 2024-06-29) Ojok, James Onono; Abonga, Ajok Beatrice; Owor, Arthur
    In an ideal situation, there should be no positive effect of the LRA war in Northern Uganda, but what of the real testimonies that the LRA war brought in many development partners with school fees scholarships through institutions like Acoli Education Initiatives, Invisible Children, Windle Trust Uganda among others. But where are they going to pay for school, the northern children in ‘war affected areas’, and others up to universities, if it were not because of the devastating effect of the war on Education? This is still without the many successful grants and PhD projects completed within Uganda and around the globe based on LRA attachment to spirituality, transitional justice or interrogating the Acoli traditional justice system versus international laws. A debate can be constructed, if necessary, that the authorities on the LRA scholarships are from the global north -meaning the war pulled scholars from their comfort zones. Secondarily, what do we owe this to? For lack of a better word, other scholars would call it the ‘unintended’ positive effect of the war. This journal paper borrows the philosophy that if you are telling a story, it should be told up-side-down. Chimamanda Ngozi, the Nigerian writer, baptised it as a one-sided story and called it the danger of a single story (Adichie 2009). Schulz, Apio et al (2024) tell us about the ‘Love and Care in the LRA’, which this paper calls bravery, with all the horror stories of the LRA! This paper is grounded in some of these philosophies of Adichie (2009) and Schulz, Apio et al. (2024) of telling all sides of the story, attempting to reconstruct the LRA use of Acoli language throughout their military operations as a demonstration of Acoli cultural attachment, loyalty and depiction of Acoli cultural patriotism or activism argued by this paper. This was through using secondary data review and holding in-depth purposive interviews with four former LRA returnees plus two cultural chiefs, including extracting the archival journalistic records of the first author, who was an active journalist in northern Uganda for over 10 years between 2010 and 2021. This journal paper, however, does not underscore the pain and sufferings, the LRA brought on the people of Uganda and other neighbouring countries. However, this paper just gives an ontological side of the LRA, which is hard to find in terms of their particular role in promoting Acoli culture by using Acoli language as their military operational medium of communication
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    Public Communication for Effective Service Delivery to Refugees in Uganda. The Case of Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement
    (East African Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, 2024) Ojok, James Onono; Owor, Arthur
    This study argues that Public Communication in Refugee Settlements, when managed professionally and structurally with a deliberate open feedback mechanism for the end-users of services provided by the government and its development partners, could be a great tool for the evaluation and enhancement of public services provided in Refugee Settlements. The study analyses the education and health sectors as parameters for the government’s service delivery in the case of the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement. Taking a qualitative research methodology approach with the case of Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, the study found that the Uganda Refugees Act (2006), which authorises service provision by the government to the refugees, has no specific public communication strategy or policy clearly spelled as a communication framework to support service provision feedback. Therefore, the study recommends a direct public engagement communication strategy involving refugees and relevant stakeholders in the public service provision with the ultimate goal of improving service delivery at Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement
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    Public Relations and Service Delivery in Local Government in Uganda: Assessing the Impact of Public Relations and Challenges in Service Delivery in the Case of Gulu District Local Government in Northern Uganda
    (East African Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2024) Ojok, James Onono; Kiwanuka-Tondo, James
    This study is part of the Masters’ Dissertation for the Master of Arts in Strategic Communication at Uganda Christian University, Mukono, titled Analysing the Role of Public Relations in Service Delivery by Local Governments: The Case of Gulu District Local Government in Northern Uganda. The Excellence theory of Grunig and Hunt (1984) and Roger’s Diffusion theory of innovation (1962) informed the analytical framework of this study. The study was conducted in the traditional Gulu district under the jurisdiction and governance of Gulu district local government. The areas covered ranged from the two divisions within Gulu Municipality, Layibi and Pece, with a stretch-out to the Bungatira sub-county. In the case of Gulu district local government, the study used both qualitative and quantitative approaches where 243 respondents were sampled using purposive and convenience sampling to select the participants. The study found that over 230 Kilometre Road was opened in the year 2017-2021 without any conflict. The study also found that there was an increase in handwashing practices because of the involvement of the community through sensitisation and the use of different communication platforms. The study exposed professional growth challenges for Public Relations professionals at the district level as the working environment provides no hierarchical growth in the Public Relations office as the structure in place doesn’t accommodate promotion to senior or mid-level compared to other offices in Gulu District Local Government. The study argues that Public Relations has the capacity to achieve more in terms of supporting or enhancing service delivery, provided there is a deliberate attempt to develop a feedback communication strategy for most public goods or services. Additionally, with full management or administration support for the public relations department for smooth operation, this study agrees that public relations can improve service delivery in any setting in local government