Background
The local government system in Uganda can be traced to structures established
by the British colonial powers around 1900.2 These structures were, in
turn, based on the chief system of authority in Central Uganda (Buganda).
The most fundamental changes manifested in the present system are the
post-1986 reforms,after the National Resistance Movement (NRM) took power.
One of the first reforms was the countrywide introduction of the Resistance
Council system. This system was a hierarchical structure of popularly elected
councils and committees from village level to district level. The structure was
based on experience gained from NRM’s mobilization of the population during
the protracted guerrilla war against the previous regimes (1981–86).
A number of legislative and administrative reforms followed. The policy
aim was initially stated as empowering local residents for enhanced political
participation and democratization (Decentralisation Secretariat 1994).
Later phases of reform focused more on administrative aspects and also
started to emphasize improved services. In 1994, the Ministry of Local Government
(MoLG) summarized the decentralization policy objectives: