Decentralization and Local Governance in Eastern Africa: A Review of Experiences of Selected Countries

The document examines decentralisation across five Eastern African countries, highlighting a recurring gap between formal policy and actual practice. While Rwanda is noted for significant achievements in inclusion and service delivery through strong political commitment, other countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda struggle with elite capture, central government interference, and financial constraints. The report argues that decentralisation often serves as a tool for political control or patronage rather than genuine local empowerment, and recommends deepening participatory democracy and strengthening the capacity of local leaders.

• In Ethiopia, decentralisation was used to promote ethnicity as an organizing principle of politics, with power decentralized to ethno-linguistic setups; however, local governments lack federal constitutional protection and often serve as "instruments of control and mobilization".
• In Kenya, devolution is constrained by the state's systems of patronage and elite capture, with the central government attempting to consolidate power through practices of autocratisation.
• Afrobarometer data from 2021 indicates low public trust in Kenya's devolved institutions, with county governors and assemblies among the bottom five least trusted institutions at 39% and 35% respectively.
• Rwanda's decentralisation process, initiated after the 1994 genocide, has successfully used local governance as a tool for social cohesion and inclusion, enabling citizens to elect local leaders and participate in decision-making.
• Despite successes, Rwanda faces challenges including a lack of technical skills, financial resource constraints, and a high turnover of local leaders that prevents the accumulation of experience.
• Sudan has historically fluctuated between centralization and decentralisation, with the central government's dominance and a lack of sound planning negatively impacting local government performance.
• The Juba Peace Agreement (2020) established a regional-federal system in Sudan, granting the Darfur Region exclusive powers over thirty functions, including the ability to enact legislation for its own government structures.
• In Uganda, the process of 'districtisation'—increasing the number of districts from 39 in 1991 to 135 by July 2020—is viewed as a strategy by central elites to fragment subnational power and extend patronage networks.
• Ugandan local governments are deliberately underfunded by the central government, which retains substantial financial allocations in ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) despite constitutional mandates for fiscal decentralisation.

APA

Terefe, F., Mohammed, Z., Kefale, A., Onyango, G., Golooba-Mutebi, F., Mushieka, H. H., Khisa, M., & Rwengabo, S. (2023). Decentralization and Local Governance in Eastern Africa: A Review of Experiences of Selected Countries. Good Governance Africa. https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2026/04/GGA-HoA-Decentralization_and_Local_Governance_in_Eastern_Africa_Monograph.pdf

Chicago

Terefe, Fekade, Zerihun Mohammed, Asnake Kefale, Gedion Onyango, Frederick Golooba-Mutebi, Hassan Hamid Mushieka, Moses Khisa, and Sabastian Rwengabo. Decentralization and Local Governance in Eastern Africa: A Review of Experiences of Selected Countries. Good Governance Africa, 2023. https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2026/04/GGA-HoA-Decentralization_and_Local_Governance_in_Eastern_Africa_Monograph.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Terefe |first1=Fekade |last2=Mohammed |first2=Zerihun |last3=Kefale |first3=Asnake |last4=Onyango |first4=Gedion |last5=Golooba-Mutebi |first5=Frederick |last6=Mushieka |first6=Hassan Hamid |last7=Khisa |first7=Moses |last8=Rwengabo |first8=Sabastian |title=Decentralization and Local Governance in Eastern Africa: A Review of Experiences of Selected Countries |publisher=Good Governance Africa |date=2023 |url=https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2026/04/GGA-HoA-Decentralization_and_Local_Governance_in_Eastern_Africa_Monograph.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{terefe2023decentralization, author = {Terefe, Fekade and Mohammed, Zerihun and Kefale, Asnake and Onyango, Gedion and Golooba-Mutebi, Frederick and Mushieka, Hassan Hamid and Khisa, Moses and Rwengabo, Sabastian}, title = {{Decentralization and Local Governance in Eastern Africa: A Review of Experiences of Selected Countries}}, institution = {Good Governance Africa}, year = {2023}, url = {https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2026/04/GGA-HoA-Decentralization_and_Local_Governance_in_Eastern_Africa_Monograph.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }