The Challenges of Community Participation in Decentralization Processes in Uganda: A Case Study of Kibaale District.

Assumptions have been made about many development concepts. This paper addresses the assumptions made about the community participation in decentralization processes using a case study of Kibaale District in Uganda. The main argument is that community participation in decentralization processes is often taken for granted. Practical evidence reveals that communities are not homogeneous in nature. They include people from all walks of life including peasants, businesspersons, property owners, marginalized among others. The majority of the communities in developing nations in general and Uganda in particular are comprised of the poor. These people lack the ‘political tools’ such as information, literacy, power and money, which are necessary to enable them to effectively participate in decentralization processes. The conclusion is that the poor in the communities remain excluded from participating in decentralization processes as long as they lack these necessary tools