Browsing by Author "Okaka, Wilson"

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    Assessing Decentralized Contract Life Cycle Management Issues and Challenges
    (Journal of Human, Earth, and Future, 2020) Ampumuza, Gracious Jean; Okaka, Wilson; Obanda, Peter W.; Watmon, Titus Bitek
    This article examines the influence of contract life cycle management on procurement performance of Local Governments in Uganda using Bugiri District as the case study. The three specific objectives of this study were to: examine the influence of contract creation on procurement performance; to assess the influence of contract execution on procurement performance and lastly, to determine the influence of contract analysis on procurement performance. The researcher employed a descriptive case study research design. Using a researcher’s made five point Likert scale questionnaire, data was collected from a sample of respondents. Seventy (70) respondents out of a population of eighty (80) were selected using purposive and random sampling techniques (response rate of 94.3%). Data was analyzed using means and the regression analysis. Findings revealed that; the extent to which contract creation predicts performance was low (r2 = 0.36, Sig. Value= 0.000); the extent to which contract execution influences procurement performance was low (r2 = 0.34, Sig. Value = 0.003) and lastly, the extent to which contract analysis influences procurement performance was moderate (r2 =0.44, Sig. Value = 0.001). On the other hand, findings revealed that contract management at Bugiri District local government in Uganda highly and positively influences procurement performance (R2= 0.779 Sig. Value= 0.000). This implies that where each of these variables; contract creation, execution and analysis are handled separately, each has a low influence on procurement performance. However if handled wholesomely, results show that high procurement performance (78%) will be achieved. In light of this, the researcher therefore concludes that; practioneers, managers and civil servants at Bugiri District should adopt a holistic approach in contract management, if procurement performance is to be maximized.
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    Assessing the Effects of Autocratic Decision-Making by Academic Unit Managers on Work Performance of Ugandan Academic Staff
    (East African Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2019) Okongo, Wilberforce; Onen, David; Okaka, Wilson
    This paper presents the key issues and the effects of an autocratic decision-making approach by the unit managers on the work performance of the academic staff in three typical Ugandan public universities. The research was prompted by persistent complaints and reports from different key stakeholders regarding the deteriorating quality of teaching, research, and community engagement in public universities in Uganda. The objectives of this paper are to explain the issues, processes, and consequences of an autocratic approach to decision making by academic unit managers on the regular work performance of academic staff in the public universities; examine the role of academics’ in promoting the competitiveness of universities for better ranking at national, regional, or global levels, and establish the incentives for different types of academics’ work performance. A cross-section survey with mixed quantitative and qualitative methods in addition to the in-depth interviews and self-administered were used to collect data. The study findings revealed low work performance levels as a consequence of the practice of an autocratic decision making employed by the academic unit managers in Uganda. The study concluded that autocratic academic unit managers are instrumental in demoralising academic staff hence resulting in low-performance levels. Academics’ work performance is vital for university competitiveness for high institutional ranking. This is because Universities have a critical role to play for the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number four for national progress towards education for sustainable development in Uganda.
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    Assessing the Socio-Demographic Factors for Nutritional Status of Older Persons in Dokolo District of Northern Uganda
    (East African Journal of Health and Science, 2019) Omia, Geoffrey; Katongole, Simon-Peter; Onzima, Robert Anguyo; Okaka, Wilson
    Undernutrition and overnutrition have been identified as common nutritional problems among older persons, but less is known about its association with socio-demographic factors, health risk factors, and the other intermediate factors such as nutritional intake, physical activity and the environmental hygiene. The major objective of this study was to determine the nutritional status and its associated factors on the older persons aged 60 years and above in Dokolo District, Uganda. Specifically, the study sought to determine the nutritional status of older persons aged 60 years and above. A cross-sectional household survey design was used based on the Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) method with 10 supervision areas, which yielded a sample size of 190 respondents. It was established using an MNA-SF that the majority 66% (124) of the interviewed older persons aged 60 years and above were at risk of being malnourished, 23% (44) were deemed malnourished, and only 11% (22) as those were with normal nutritional status. It further revealed that several factors were significantly associated with nutritional status among older persons. These included demographic factors such as Age (p-value for Crammers’ V < 0.001). However, other demographic factors such as sex of respondents (p-value > 0.130), level of education (p-value > 0.362), nature of occupation/employment (p-value > 0.061), and religious status (p-value > 0.280) were not seen to influence the nutritional status of the older persons. Socio-economic factors such as respondents’ wealth quintiles were equally deemed to be significantly associated with nutritional status of the older adults (P < 0.000, R = -0.288), specifically, only 4.6% of the malnourished were wealthy as compared to the 28.6% of the malnourished who were classified as poorest. Chronic health conditions had a significant influence on nutritional status (p < 0.000). Likewise, the neuropsychological problem had a significant influence on nutritional status (p < 0.000). Food security factors such as access to food (p < 0.001), food adequacy/sufficiency (p <0.001), number of meals had per day (p < 0.000), the main source of food for the household (p <0.000) all had significant influence on the nutritional status of the respondents. Furthermore, it was revealed that the quality of the collected drinking such as boiling before drinking, treating, and proper storage among others had a significant influence on the nutritional status of the respondents (p < 0.037). The study recommended several community initiatives that seek to improve the food security of households such as improved access to food, food adequacy/sufficiency, increasing the number of meals had per day should be designed to prioritize the older persons. The government should embark on the improvement of health care systems to ensure they are user-friendly to the older persons and improves early detection and screening of related nutritional conditions. Elderly persons including their households should be sensitized on the proper feeding practices and safe storage of household water.
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    Developing Workshop Safety Management Skills for Kyambogo University Mechanical Production Engineering Students in Uganda
    (East African Nature and Science Organization, 2021-09-21) Agole, Peter; Okaka, Wilson
    Effective workshop management skills are vital for the occupational safety of the students, lecturers, instructors, support staff, or technicians who use mechanical production or manufacturing workshops at universities. The main purpose of the paper is to examine the status of the undergraduate university students’ skills practice in safety management in the engineering educational workshops assess the common occupational hazards and risks in the workshops, and explain the prospects of promoting occupational safety standards. The paper was informed by a recent study that was done in Kyambogo University, Uganda with a focus on employable skills outputs. The paper objectives were to identify the safety measures to be used in skills practice, design precautionary signs for skills practice, implement safety measures for skills practice in the department of mechanical production Engineering. In the study, a descriptive research design was used, where both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used. The total number of respondents who participated in the study was 30. The respondents included the head of the department, lecturers, students, technicians from the Mechanical Production Engineering Department of Kyambogo University. Data were collected from respondents through the use of questionnaires and interview guides. Data were analyzed and presented using tables and then descriptions were done using percentages. The findings revealed the following occupational hazards and risks, physical hazard, ergonomic hazards, chemical hazards, psychological hazards, and biological hazards. The study also revealed that accidents always occurred in the department of mechanical and production workshops. The major causes of the accidents were due to lack of knowledge or skills, safety policy gears, carelessness, safety protective wears, proper storage of materials, and instructions’ manuals or guidelines. In addition, there are problems of lack of modern tools, digital technology, good supervision, adequate space, and awareness of the ICT led safety systems. The cost-cutting strategies for workshop safety management were warning signs, alerts, and clear labels, use of protective gear, providing first aid kits, vocationalised training, and awareness campaigns on occupation safety. There is a need for routine monitoring, renovations, replacing obsolete machines, safety tags, fire drills, industry-university benchmarking, or industrial placements
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    Effectiveness of Decision-Making Approaches by Academic Unit Managers on Academics Performance in Public Universities in Uganda
    (East African Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2019) Okongo, Wilberforce; Onen, David; Okaka, Wilson
    This paper presents the key issues and the effects of an autocratic decision-making approach by the unit managers on the work performance of the academic staff in three typical Ugandan public universities. The research was prompted by persistent complaints and reports from different key stakeholders regarding the deteriorating quality of teaching, research, and community engagement in public universities in Uganda. The objectives of this paper are to explain the issues, processes, and consequences of an autocratic approach to decision making by academic unit managers on the regular work performance of academic staff in the public universities; examine the role of academics’ in promoting the competitiveness of universities for better ranking at national, regional, or global levels, and establish the incentives for different types of academics’ work performance. A cross-section survey with mixed quantitative and qualitative methods in addition to the in-depth interviews and self-administered were used to collect data. The study findings revealed low work performance levels as a consequence of the practice of an autocratic decision making employed by the academic unit managers in Uganda. The study concluded that autocratic academic unit managers are instrumental in demoralising academic staff hence resulting in low-performance levels. Academics’ work performance is vital for university competitiveness for high institutional ranking. This is because Universities have a critical role to play for the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number four for national progress towards education for sustainable development in Uganda.
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    Enhancing The Work Performance of University Academic Staff by Delegated Decision-Making Approach for Good Governance in Ugandan Public Universities
    (East African Journal of Education Studies, 2019) Okongo, Wilberforce; Onen, David; Okaka, Wilson
    This study focused on the decision-making approaches (DMA) of the academic deans and departmental heads in tandem with the work performance of the academics in the Ugandan public universities. The research was prompted by persistent cases of complaints and reports from different key stakeholders regarding the deteriorating quality of teaching, research, and community engagement in public universities in Uganda. The researcher hypothesized that the problem could have been gaps emerging from the types of decision-making approaches used by the academic deans and departmental heads. As a result, the research was approached from the positivist research paradigm with a focus on the pragmatic philosophical approach in which both the quantitative and qualitative data were triangulated from 325 respondents with the use of questionnaire survey and in-depth interview methods. The study examined the effects of the delegated decision-making approach of the academic deans and departmental heads on the work performance of the academics in selected public universities in Uganda. A systematic random sampling strategy was used to administer the questionnaires to the target respondents. The data obtained was analyzed and presented with the aid of descriptive statistical techniques (tables, percentages & histograms), inferential statistical techniques (Student T-test, Pearson’s correlation, ANOVA & regression), and content analysis methods. The study findings revealed that low and high work performance had a direct bearing on the type of DMA used by academic deans and departmental heads in Uganda. The study concluded that the kind of DMA academic units managers employ when interacting with their institutional academic staff has a direct effect on how the academics perform their routine work. Thus, the study recommended that academic deans and departmental heads who are concerned with the decision-making process should employ more often delegated decision-making approaches at the workplace because it has a significant positive correlation with the work performance of the academic staff.
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    Influence of Performance Appraisal in Determining Academic Staff Performance in Public Universities in Uganda
    (East African Nature and Science Organization, 2021-02-25) Rwothumio, Joseph; Okaka, Wilson; Kambaza, Stephen; Kyomukama, Eugene
    In an effort by public universities to improve the performance of lecturers in Uganda, universities are implementing annual performance appraisal. Despite this move, ineffective teaching, low research and publication continue to prevail, making it difficult for public universities to produce the needed human resources for national development. This study investigated the relationship between performance appraisal and teaching and research outputs of academic staff in selected public universities. A mixed method design using convergent parallel approach was employed to collect and analyse data from a population of 4 Vice-Chancellors, 4 Directors of Human Resources and 1127 full-time academic staff. Four universities were selected using purposive sampling based on the year of establishment before 2011. The academic staff was selected by the use of the stratified random sampling technique. A total sample of 299 participants was involved made up of 291 academic staff, 4 directors of human resources and 4 Vice-chancellors in the study. Data collection employed the use of semi-structured questionnaires for the academic staff and interview guides for the Vice-Chancellors and Directors of Human Resources. Analysis of quantitative data collected was done using Pearson’s Correlation, linear regression and factor analysis. Qualitative data was analysed based on thematic content analysis. Results indicated that a moderate positive relationship existed between performance appraisal and academic staff teaching output in public universities (r = 0.452, p < 0.01) and a moderately positive relationship existed between performance appraisal and academic staff research output (r = 0.379, p < 0.01). It was recommended that Ugandan public universities need to revise the existing performance appraisal system to make it more relevant to the key work roles of academic staff of teaching and research outputs.
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    Promoting Democratic Decision-Making for Academics’ Work Performance in Ugandan Public Universities
    (East African Journal of Education Studies, 2019) Okongo, Wilberforce; Onen, David; Okaka, Wilson
    he use of democratic decision-making approaches (DMA) by university academic unit managers is vital for improved scholarly productivity and regular work performance of academic staff’s in Ugandan public universities. The study examined the democratic decision-making approaches of the academic unit managers in tandem with the work performance of the academics’ in the Ugandan public universities. The research objectives were to examine the effects of democratic decision-making approaches as used by the various academic unit managers in the Ugandan public universities on the work performance of the various categories of university academics, examine the benefits of democratic decision making and explain its implications of academic productivity on education for sustainable development. The cross-sectional survey study employed mixed quantitative and qualitative data collection instruments that involved all categories of academics from assistant lecturers to professors in three selected public universities in Uganda. 325 respondents participated in the survey that was backed by in-depth interviews. The data were analyzed by the use of appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics as well as the thematic content analysis method. Preliminary findings indicated that among others, the high work performance of the academics was directly related to the democratic decision-making style which the decision-makers at various university academic units practiced. The use of democratic decision-making approach had a more significant positive effect on the work performance (WP) of the academic staff. The results showed that a unit increase in the use of DMA yields 19.1% increases in the WP of academic staff. We concluded that democratic decision-making approach promotes academic freedom, openness, incentives or motivations, and high academics’ productivity in regular work. Therefore, it is recommended that academic unit managers who aim to achieve better staff work performance for university competitiveness should adopt the democratic decision-making model for enhanced academics’ work performance output. The unit managers should also be trained and made skillful in the use of DMA because it is consultative, collective, and participative in nature.