Determinants of Community Participation in Borehole Management:

Abstract

Introduction: In Uganda, a total of UGX 16.8 billion was spent on borehole construction in FYs 2011/2012-2012/2013 constituting 38% of the total water supply investment (MWE Annual report 2013). Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have invested over 723.7 million (29%) of total investment in community management activities including major repairs on boreholes (MWE Annual report 2013). The biggest challenge experienced in the process of implementation was the lack of sustainability of these water supply sources (Reed & Harvey, 2007; Wood lock, 2002). According to Sutton, 2005; the operational failure rates in most African countries stood between 30-60%. By 2013, the non-functionality of boreholes in Uganda stood at 16% (MWE 2013). Objective: To assess the determinants of community participation in the management of boreholes in Butaleja district. Methodology: It was imperative to investigate the individual relationship of each of the potential factors with the response first. A survey and a focus group discussion were conducted among the community members in selected villages in Butaleja District. Binary logistic regression was fitted to the data at the monovariate, bivariate and multivariate level of analysis to explore the inferences under the different levels of analysis. Results: The bivariate results showed that education, Family size, Operational borehole, Status of the borehole and routine meetings by WUCs are significant determinants in community Participation. When adjusted for other potential factors, all the above were significant except for routine meetings by the WUC.

Conclusion: Education level, Family size, Status of the borehole and the borehole being operational are the factors that influence community participation in borehole management in Butaleja District. Recommendations: It is recommended that re-training of WUCs and advocacy be carried out to increase community participation in borehole management. Further, rigorous strategies need to be formulated to achieve long-term participation of the community to ensure continued management and maintenance for higher water satisfaction. And mechanisms that can address poverty to maintain continued participation in terms of payments for operations should be formulated. Keywords: Borehole, community participation, binary logistic regression, Butaleja District.