3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Policing gender dissidence: a study on the increase of institutionalized gender repression- the 2014 anti-homosexuality bills of Uganda and Nigeria(2015-08-21) Morobane, FaraiIn the first two months of 2014, LGBTI rights were dealt heavy blows in two African countries. On 7 January, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan signed into law a bill that criminalises same-sex unions, with prison sentences of up to fourteen years. This same law sentences any person or organisation that funds in any way the registration and operation of gay organisations, clubs, or societies to a prison sentence of ten years. A month later, the president of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, officially assented to a more draconian bill which imposes penalties as high as life imprisonment for people engaging in consensual same-sex sexual activity. There has been a stark increase in the passing of repressive gender laws on the continent in the last decade. This is a qualitative inductive study that sets out to research the factors causing the increase of gender repressive law making in African states between 2009 and 2014. The study sets out to dissect the 2014 Anti-homosexuality bills of 2014 in Uganda and Nigeria as case studies. Using a multi-layered analysis approach the study tests out the influences leading to the increase of LGBTI intolerant laws categorised into national, regional and international impacts. I argue that strategic national interests are central in explaining the frequency, urgency and intensity of anti-homosexuality vitriol in some African states.Item Competitiveness of international new ventures in Uganda(2015-02-23) Nabatanzi-Muyimba, Annet K.International competitiveness is the ability of a firm to sustain its international performance relative to competitors over time and in the future. This research examined the firm level factors that contribute to competitiveness of international new ventures (INVs). Specifically, the study investigated whether entrepreneurial and branding resources and capabilities greatly contribute to competitiveness of INVs. The study followed a positivist and quantitative methodological approach to establish the causalities and social order of competitiveness of INVs in Uganda. The purpose of the study was actualized through adopting a cross-sectional survey design. The study focused on INVs which are firms that internationalized their operations within the first ten (10) years of their establishment. These firms were drawn from the three major business sectors in Uganda including agribusiness, manufacturing and service firms involved in international activities ranging from exports, input sourcing (imports), foreign subsidiaries, franchises to international subcontracting. The survey instrument was delivered to 405 firms and information required was provided by three different groups of respondents in each firm. Owners-managers and employees assessed their firm’s entrepreneurial and branding resources and capabilities and international competitiveness in the last five (5) years and for the next three (3) years whereas customers evaluated brand advantage of firms and their products or services. The data collection process achieved a 77 percent response rate to the study. The study was non-experimental and adopted structural equation modelling and Average Moments of Structures (AMOS) to establish the causal relationships between the study variables. The study results reveal that brand orientation greatly contributes to international competitiveness whereas the interaction between entrepreneurial and branding resources and capabilities significantly enhances brand advantage of INVs. In addition, the study indicates that in the short run, brand advantage constrains the contribution of entrepreneurial and branding capabilities to competitiveness of INVs. The findings of this research provide knowledge on building and sustaining international competitiveness with specific implications for improving marketing and/or branding capabilities and utilization of entrepreneurial resources. The findings further support the dynamic capabilities theory in explaining competitiveness of INVs in Uganda. Keywords: Competitiveness, Entrepreneurial Capital, Entrepreneurial orientation, Brand orientation, Brand Advantage, International New Ventures, UgandaItem The impact of language diversity on the right to fair trial in international criminal proceedings(2013-07-12) Namakula, Catherine Stella; ;The Impact of Language Diversity on the Right to Fair Trial in International Criminal Proceedings is a study that explores the influence of the dynamic factor of language on fair trial at the international level and during domestic prosecution of international crimes. Chapter 5 constitutes a case study of the International Crimes Division of the High Court of Uganda, a contemporary specialised ‗court‘ emerging within the framework of the statute of the International Criminal Court, by virtue of the principle of complementarity. By way of empirical research, interviewing and jurisprudential analysis, It is sought to assess the implications of conducting a trial in more than one language, on due process. This thesis reveals that the language debate is as old as international criminal justice, but due to misrepresentation of the status of language fair trial rights in international law, the debate has not yielded concrete reforms. Language is the core foundation for justice. It is the means through which the rights of the accused are realised. Linguistic complexities such as misunderstandings, failures in translation and cultural distance among participants in international criminal trials affect courtroom communication, the presentation and the perception of the evidence hence challenging the foundations of trial fairness. In conclusion, language fair trial rights are priority rights situated in the minimum guarantees of fair criminal trial; the obligation of the court to ensure fair trial or accord the accused person a fair hearing comprises the duty to guarantee linguistic rights. This thesis also entails recommendations on how to address the phenomenon.Item Hidden and forgotten: the plight of children trafficked for domestic work in Uganda.(2012-01-18) Nyakato, Anne MaryThe recruitment of children from rural areas to work as domestic workers in urban areas is a practice that has gone unhindered for many years. In many communities in Africa, and in Uganda in particular, the placement of children in the homes of wealthier relatives or friends to perform domestic work in exchange for education and other benefits is considered a survival strategy. Like in many other societies, Ugandan communities find it culturally acceptable to use children to complement family income efforts. They hardly acknowledge that using children to undertake domestic activities, which at times may be hazardous to their health and education, amounts to exploitation of children. This is worsened by the fact that the use of children for domestic work co-exists with such other malicious practices, including the trafficking of children which violate their most basic and fundamental rights. This dissertation argues that although the law on child labour has existed for a long time, this practice has flourished and in some cases it has contributed to the development of child trafficking and slavery. The study acknowledges that there are many international law and domestic instruments which seek to address these problems. While analyzing the available literature and the body of international and national legal instruments, the study challenges the extent to which these instruments are useful in delivering protection to children. It will show that, while it is evident that the UN Protocol on Trafficking in Persons brought significant contribution to international criminal law, it did not add much value in the fight against the trafficking of children for domestic work as its scope is limited to addressing transnational crimes and those involving an organized criminal group. The dissertation also shows that neither international human rights law, nor national labour law have dealt with the question of exploitation of children adequately. It is highlighted in the study that international law has neither defined clearly the term ‘exploitation’, nor distinguished effectively between acceptable work and harmful work for children. The dissertation argues for a child-centred approach that values the full range of children’s rights and does not seek only to eliminate child labour, but also understand the reasons why children work, recognise their rights as workers and provide mechanisms that ensure decent work for children.Item Interdependency of knowledge management and learning : the case of higher education institutions in Uganda(2011-12-13) Turyasingura, WilberforceKnowledge management and organisational learning have received much attention in recent times, owing to the increased recognition which has been accorded knowledge as a source of organisational success and sustainability. Researchers and practitioners have become increasingly interested in striving to understand how the two notions can be harnessed in order to attain that success. However, while it seems clear that both knowledge management and organisational learning have the same goals, that is to nurture and harness knowledge resources, the concepts have tended, in the past, to be regarded independently of each other, with parallel strategies having been implemented for each. Such an imposed separation has, at times, resulted in resource duplication and unsatisfactory outcomes for the organisations concerned. The current study examines the nature of the relationship between knowledge management and organisational learning in higher educational institutions in Uganda, with the aim of providing a unified framework for understanding how the above-mentioned knowledge-based concepts relate to each other. A mixed methodology approach was applied to achieve the set objective. Quantitative data were collected using questionnaires from 270 respondents, employed at six higher educational institutions (comprising four universities, one management development institute, and one business school). Qualitative data, in contrast, were collected by means of interviews which were conducted with 13 key informants from three different institutions. Analytical techniques of correlation analysis, regression analysis and canonical correlation analysis were applied to the quantitative data, while content analysis procedure was applied to the qualitative data. Empirical evidence confirmed that knowledge management and organisational learning have an interdependent relationship, which is manifested in two main dimensions, namely the institutional strategic focus and people (human resources) focus. Based on such dimensions, the study proposes a re-conceptualisation of the linkage between knowledge management and organisational learning, aimed at evolving the two concepts into a single organisational knowledge sustainability concept in higher educational institutions. Such a joint concept emphasises the effective utilisation of existing knowledge, while, at the same time, focusing on the importance of continuous learning for acquiring new knowledge to meet future organisational knowledge requirements. In addition, empirical evidence from this study show that knowledge management practices play an important role in promoting learning at various levels of the organisation. The study concludes that knowledge management has not been fully integrated in the strategic agenda of most higher education institutions in Uganda and much internal knowledge is not properly harnessed for the benefit of such institutions. The study recommends that, in the current information age, higher education institutions in Uganda should prioritise both knowledge management and organisational learning by implementing strategies aimed at exploiting existing knowledge, as well as at exploring new knowledge. Lastly, recommendations for future research are presented.Item Molecular variability of cassava Bemisia tabaci and its effect on the epidemiology of cassava mosaic geminiviruses in Uganda(2009-05-29T10:44:10Z) Sseruwagi, PeterBemisia tabaci (Genn.) is the vector of cassava mosaic geminiviruses (CMGs), which are the main production constraint to cassava, both in Uganda and elsewhere in Africa. A severe form of cassava mosaic disease (CMD) was responsible for the devastation of cassava in Uganda beginning in the late 1980s. In subsequent years the severe CMD epidemic spread throughout Uganda, and to neighbouring countries, causing devastating effects to cassava production, and its geographical range continues to expand with the pandemic. To further understand the virus-vector dynamics involved in the spread of CMD in the post epidemic zone in Uganda, we investigated the current distribution of B. tabaci genotypes in selected cassava-growing regions. Additionally, the relationship between the vector genotypes and distribution of CMGs in the post-epidemic zone was examined also. CMD-affected cassava leaves were collected from 3 to 5 month-old cassava plants, and B. tabaci adults and fourth instar nymphs were collected from cassava and twenty-two other plant species occurring adjacent to the sampled cassava fields. The mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (mtCOI) sequence was used to establish the genotype of B. tabaci adults and nymphs associated with the sampled plant species. African cassava mosaic virus (ACMV) and East African cassava mosaic virus-Uganda 2 (EACMV-UG2) were confirmed to be present in the post-epidemic zone in Uganda, as reported previously. As expected, EACMV-UG2 predominated. However, unlike previous observations in which EACMV-UG2 was consistently associated with the severe disease phenotype, in this study EACMV-UG2 occurred almost equally in the severely and mildly diseased plants. Phylogenetic analyses of Ugandan B. tabaci genotypes (mtCOI) revealed that their closest relatives were other Old World genotypes, as might be expected. Two previously reported B. tabaci genotype clusters, Uganda 1 (Ug1) and Uganda 2 (Ug2), at ~8% nt divergence, were confirmed to occur on cassava in the post-epidemic zone. However, Ug1 occurred more frequently (83%) than Ug2 (17%), and no definite association was established of a particular vector genotype with cassava plants exhibiting the severe disease phenotype, in contrast to the B. tabaci genotype distribution and association with the CMGs reported there at the height of the spread of the severe CMD epidemic. Based on the presence of B. tabaci fourth instar nymphs, the Ug1 genotypes colonized five additional non-cassava plant species: Manihot glaziovii, Jatropha gossypifolia, Euphorbia heterophylla, Aspilia africana and Abelmoschus esculentus, suggesting that in Uganda the Ug1 genotypes are not restricted to cassava. However, no Ug2 genotypes were detected on the non-cassava plant species sampled. This study revealed also the presence in Uganda of five distinct previously unrecorded B. tabaci genotype clusters, Uganda 3 (Ug3), Uganda 4 (Ug4), Uganda 5 (Ug5), Uganda 6 (Ug6) and Uganda 7 (Ug7), and a sweetpotato colonizing genotype cluster, designated Uganda 8 (Ug8), among the collective Ugandan B. tabaci populations. Ug3 was the only exemplar representing one cluster, which was unlike any previously described genotype in Uganda or elsewhere, and diverged at 8%, 10% and 17% from Ug1, Ug2 and Ug8, respectively. The Ug3 genotypes colonized a single species, Ocimum gratissimum. Ug4, Ug5, Ug6 and Ug7 formed four closely related sub-clusters (93-97% nt identity), and diverged from one another by 1-7%, and by 15-18% from Ug1, Ug2, Ug3 and Ug8, respectively. The Ug4 genotypes had as their closest relatives (at 97-99% nt identity) previously reported B. tabaci from okra in the Ivory Coast, whereas, the Ug5 and Ug6 genotypes shared 95-99% and 99% nt identity, respectively, with their closest relatives from the Mediterranean-North Africa- Middle East (MED-NAFR-ME) region, which also includes the well studied B and Q biotypes. The Ug7 genotypes were closely related (at 98-99% nt identity) to B. tabaci from Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. The Ug4, Ug5, Ug6 and Ug7 genotypes were identified on 54%, 8%, 8%, and 31% of the sampled plants species, respectively. Ug4 were most polyphagous, followed by Ug7 and Ug6. However, none of the new five genotypes (Ug3-Ug7) was found associated with, or colonizing, xx cassava or sweetpotato plants in this study. Squash plants colonized by the Ug6 and Ug7 genotypes, both members of the B biotype/B-like cluster, developed the silvering phenotype, while those colonized by the Ug4 genotypes (most closely related to a non-B like genotype from okra in the Ivory Coast) did not. In addition to colonizing sweetpotato, the Ug8 genotypes also colonized Lycopersicon esculentum and L nepetifolia.Item Ethnopoetics and gender dynamics : Identity construction and power relations in Acoli song performance(2008-09-26T13:05:16Z) Okot, Mark BengeThe study explores the intricate relationship between Acoli song performance, gender identity construction and gender power relations. The investigation is guided by the understanding that gender identity construction does not only influence gender power relations but it is also part and parcel of the contextual performance of power relations. The study involves a contextual socio-cultural discussion of the gender situation in Acoli society, and with it the role of the performing arts in the gender identity construction and power relations. Gender performativity theory is revisited in light of the genre-based performance of one’s gender, as manifested in the Acoli song performances. The analysis is guided by the argument that to understand gender one needs to pay attention to the genres through which it is expressed. Despite over a century of gender theorisation, gender theorists are still not agreed on what constitutes power, neither has any offered an irreproachable and convincing conception of power. Given current debates in gender theorisation, the study attempts to make fresh empirical investigation to make valid and concrete entry into gender debates by deriving a situated gender concept of “power” based on field research evidence. By analysing Acoli song performances, the major sites of power in the society are elucidated and the positions of the two genders vis-àvis these sites of power are examined to determine the nature of the gender power relations matrix. Song performance does not only act as a catalyst in gender performativity but it is an integral part of it, as the study reveals; and through song performance the Acoli females have particularly invested in the differential gender notions to make themselves visible and achieve their aspirations as ‘women’.Item Informing industrial policy in Uganda: interaction between institutions, technology and market reforms(2008-09-03T08:08:45Z) Okuku, Juma AnthonyThis study examines the motive ideas and assumptions that have informed industrial policy in Uganda since 1945. I deploy a historical perspective in order to understand the process of industrial policy and hope to capture the practices of industrial policy so as to explain the failure to pursue a successful industrialisation process in the country. The objective is to explain the nature of Uganda’s industrial policy practices, historically, with the view to deepening our understanding its impact on the industrialisation process. The study contends that industrial policy and industrialisation are often products of numerous historical, social, economic and political considerations. The major finding of this thesis is that the lack of a coherent industrial policy was a major contributing factor in the explanation of Uganda’s stunted industrialisation process. Secondly, the study analyses industrial policy practices in light of the imposition of Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) on the country. Apart from the specific policies and institutional framework under SAPs, the study endeavours to explain their impact on industrial sector and it is focused on three themes: i) effects of liberalisation and privatisation on industry, ii) the sources of finance for industry and iii) the technology policy and its implications for industrial policy. The study as well addresses the public-private sector interactions which are seen as an expression of embryonic embedded autonomy. The study contends that for industrial policy to be effective at the national level and enhance competitiveness of industry there should be a selective, sectoral focus approach rather than a general regulation of the entire economy. Given the variant sectoral characteristics and features, the understanding of specific sectoral needs is critical to avoid a generalised industrial policy practices. The focus on sectors brings out similarities and differences which may inform state policy towards each of them. To illustrate the differences and similarities between sectors and the need for differentiated industrial policy options, we take the cases of the textile and fish processing industry sub-sectors. In conclusion, the thesis contends that to advocate for industrial policy in the current global context constitutes a movement away from traditional interventionism and goes beyond the market versus the state dichotomy and recommends their close interactions to realise sustained industrialisation. In this case, the interaction between institutions, technology and market reforms as the basis of a coherent industrial policy. From a policy perspective, this study attempts to provide an analysis that may lead to improved industrial policy-making within Uganda’s broad political economy.Item Knowledge levels of voluntary counselling and testing for human immunodeficiency virus amoungst taxi drivers in Kampala, Uganda(2007-02-28T12:12:53Z) Kizito, Assisi-FranklinIntroduction: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) was first isolated from human blood in 1983 at the Pasteur Institute, Paris. Currently there is no cure for HIV and control efforts emphasize prevention. One of the components of the Global Strategy put forward to preventing HIV transmission is HIV Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) (Ginwalla, Grant & Day:2002). Taxi drivers are part of the Ugandan population at special risk of acquiring this virus. It was therefore necessary to carry out a study in this group of people to assess how much they knew about HIV/VCT services. Study Objectives To establish the level of knowledge amongst the taxi drivers about the availability and accessibility of HIV VCT services in Kampala. To identify factors that influence the taxi drivers in Kampala, Uganda to access the VCT services. Methods and materials A cross-sectional descriptive study design was used to carry out the study amongst 400 taxi drivers who consented to participate and operated within and around the city of Kampala during 2004. A structured questionnaire to record variables that included, age, sex, marital status, level of education, level of knowledge of VCT, factors that enhance VCT uptake, factors that inhibit VCT uptake, history of having ever had VCT, and knowledge of spouse or sexual partner’s HIV serostatus, was used. Data was entered into EPI-INFO 6 computer program and descriptive and analytic investigation using proportion or percentages to compare the level of knowledge generated was used. Findings/Results A total of 399 taxi drivers with 52.8% of them aged between 26 – 35 years participated in the study. 68.8% lived within 6 km of the city centre. All were married and 78.8% had one spouse. 0.75% were lady drivers. 55% of the participants had attained secondary school level of education. 69% of the taxi drivers knew that HIV/AIDS was the commonest health problem in the country and 57.4% of the participants mentioned HIV testing as the only way one would ascertain their serostatus. 94.2% had heard about HIV/VCT mainly from the media and as much as 98.7% of the taxi drivers knew a place where such services could be got. 82.2% confirmed that these places were accessible and 85.9% said that the services were not expensive. However, 57.3% of the participants preferred getting these services where they were known in order to get genuine results and subsequent support. The 26% who opposed this idea sighted confidentiality as the main obstacle. Despite the knowledge level about HIV/VCT amongst the participants, 68.3% of the communal taxi drivers were willing to go for the service and only 16.1% had actually taken the test. Out of the 399 participants 59.6% felt that they could share their serostatus with their spouses. Conclusion The taxi drivers are knowledgeable about HIV/VCT services and these findings lie within the overall range of knowledge of the population in urban Uganda. The HIV/VCT services are accessible and affordable to the taxi drivers but the fear to receive the unexpected results and the consequences of having positive results hinder the taxi drivers from seeking the VCT services. The majority of taxi drivers preferred to go to HIV/VCT service points where they were known. This factor could have contributed to the small number of taxi drivers that had taken the test. Probably few suitable service points to go to had been identified by these taxi drivers. Recommendations The government and other organizations that provide care in the field of HIV should organize sensitization seminars for taxi drivers to address issues aimed at allaying their anxiety or fear to receive positive results. Also, there is a need to intensify counselling services for the taxi drivers by establishing counselling centres close to the two taxi parks in the City. HIV/VCT service centres should be integrated with other health services so that people who seek either of the services can gain from both. This will encourage more taxi drivers to come to these centres.