Influence of Political Interests on Management of Resource Access in Awoja Watershed
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Date
2018
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy
Abstract
This study sought to determine the extent to which local political interests under decentralization influence
watershed management. The study was carried out in Soroti, Katakwi and Amuria districts in Eastern Uganda where local
governance of watershed resources is being challenged by floods, draughts and mobility of communities. A cross sectional
study design using both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods was employed. Factor Analysis and a Logistics
Regression Model were used to analyze household survey data gathered from 180 randomly selected households; to determine
influence of political factor variables on watershed management. Focus Group Discussions and key informants’ interviews
were also used to generate qualitative data with the purpose of explaining the relationships among variables and to analyze the
extent to which various factors influenced watershed management. From the correlation results the factors that were
significantly correlated to watershed management were: Community involvement in implementation was significantly
correlated to watershed management (r=0.289, P<0.01), political interests in decisions r=0.187, P<0.05), Reasons for
punishment of offenders (r=0.55, P, 0.001. Results from the logit regression showed that dissatisfaction with regulations had an
increasing influence on watershed management by 90.8% (OR=1.908, P<0.05). This means that management systems were
highly affected by dissatisfaction of communities with rules and regulations. Similarly, community involvement in
implementation of rules and regulations significantly influenced watershed management by 3 fold (OR=3.436537, P<0.05).
From the focus group discussions and KII interviews the study found that involving communities in policy implementation had
led to compromises between communities and watershed governance institutions, which were perceived to have undermined
the effective control of access and management of watershed resource use. The study concludes that some political interest
factors and divergent activities of local institutions and actors in the watershed constrained the very processes that they should
support thereby escalating degradation in Awoja.
Description
Keywords
Political Interests, Watershed Management, Climate Change
Citation
Aben, C., Okiror, J. J., Agea, J. G., & Hansen, E. F. (2018). Influence of Political Interests on Management of Resource Access in Awoja Watershed. International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy, 6(5), 85. doi: 10.11648/j.ijepp.20180605.11