Author(s)

B. Sserwadda

Abstract

The study sought to determine the levels of disaster preparedness under decentralization among selected districts in Uganda. The districts targeted were 17 and the respondents were district disaster management personnel, in the office of the Chief Administrative Officer, local council members who are the legislators, district disaster management committees and representatives from the community. The results indicated that there is poor capacity on the part of staff in understanding the key standards that relate to disaster responsiveness. The personnel holding these portfolios are not well trained to handle emergency response. 89% of the districts covered had no facilities to evacuate the vulnerable in case of a disaster. However, planning is done at district level and this creates plans for emergencies that have localized dimensions. Resource utilization for disaster preparedness activities can be incorporated in the other plans using locally generated resources. The efforts to build the capacity of the district personnel as well as that of the community to understand the dynamics of disaster management should be done. In conclusion therefore, it should be noted that it is a human right for vulnerable and resource constrained communities and populations to be protected against problems brought about by disasters. By looking at the challenges associated with managing disasters, and by studying the opportunities presented by the decentralization system in Uganda, better options could be generated to establish a more sustainable mechanism to reduce the losses associated with disasters both in terms of human and other resources. Keywords: disasters, preparedness, decentralisation, Uganda.

Keywords

disasters, preparedness, decentralisation, Uganda