Institutional dynamics during the formulation and implementation of a national capacity development strategy : A case study of Uganda

In recent years, several countries especially developing countries have been faced with the challenges of poor performance in water and sanitation services delivery. Several investments got committed to improving performance especially through investments in capacity development projects. However, the considerable investments in capacity development projects never translated into sustainable, and country enhanced services delivery. It led to a global call for a National Capacity Development Strategy to be adopted as an instrument to promote state-owned and driven policy to scale up capacity development across the individual, organization, and institutional dimensions. Ideally, all sector stakeholders' concerted efforts are required in formulating a National Capacity Development Strategy. In reality, however, sector stakeholders concerted effort have been less experienced leading to institutional dynamics in Strategy formulation and the subsequent implementation of a National Capacity Development Strategy. The case study research focuses on the institutional dynamics in the formulation and implementation of Uganda Water and Environment Sector Capacity Development Strategy and how it affects the role of the urban water and sanitation sub-sector. The central ministry was responsible for the coordination of all stakeholders' effort in the sector towards the formulation and implementation of the Uganda Water and Environment Sector Capacity Development Strategy. The Strategy pursued the water and environment central ministry vision for the sector, and the 2013-2018 JWESSP was the primary funding mechanism for the Strategy process. The absence of stakeholders' concerted effort was studied at urban water and sanitation sub-sector scale to understand the personal and social perspective of how some relevant stakeholders got involved in the Strategy process. The result from this research illustrated that inherent politico-economic power relation appear as a substantial threat to the intent to pull together all stakeholders effort in the formulation and implementation of a National Capacity development Strategy. This research recommends that a collective agreement on urban sub-sector performance indicator be engaged to foster effective stakeholders' cooperation in the course of implementation of the Uganda Water and Environment Sector Capacity Development Strategy. In addition, this research also recommends that studies be conducted to track GoU funding for capacity development, so as to mobilize GoU commitment to scale up funding for capacity development program in Uganda