Perspectives of local government stakeholders on disaster risk reduction and management: a case study of Bududa District, Uganda

Abstract

There have been continuous reports of destruction of life, property and environment causing great suffering and misery of the people in Bududa District in Eastern Uganda despite the presence of Disaster Management Committees (DMCs), availability of some resources and the involvement of communities in planning, response and recovery programmes. This study examined perceptions of local government stakeholders on disaster management in Bududa district. The study was guided by the following objectives; to investigate the perspectives of local government stakeholders on the role of disaster management committees in disaster management, to examine the perceptions of local government stakeholders on community participation in disaster management and to examine the perceptions of local government stakeholders on resource availability for disaster management in Bududa district. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional survey design. The study population was composed of 132 people from which a sample of 109 was obtained. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaires and unstructured interviews. Findings reveal that while DMCs have formal plans and train members, critical gaps exist in emergency communication and community alerting. The community shows a willingness to participate, but their involvement, particularly in planning, is limited. Resource scarcity is a major challenge, with a lack of funds for proactive measures and a reliance on often-delayed government funding. It was concluded that there was a need to enhance the capacity of District Management Committees, improve community participation and find more resources if disaster risk reduction is to be effective in Bududa district. The study recommended enhancing the capacity of District Management Committees through skills training, improving community participation through sensitization and awareness programs and finding more resources by lobbying from the Government of Uganda and other partners such as civil society organisations and development partners.