An assessment of the implementation of the national decentralisation policy by Lusaka city council of Zambia.

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Date
2022
Authors
Kamanga, Given
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Publisher
The University of Zambia
Abstract
study assessed the extent to which the National Decentralisation Policy (NDP) had been implemented by Lusaka City Council (LCC) of Zambia, as of July, 2019. The objectives of the study were to ascertain the status of the implementation of the NDP by LCC, to examine the strategies of implementing the NDP by LCC, and to investigate the challenges which have been experienced during the process of implementing the NDP by LCC. The study took a qualitative research approach with LCC as a case study. The sample size was thirteen. Interview, and a Focus Group Discussion Guides were used as instruments for collecting data. Interview guides aided in the collection of in-depth data from the twelve purposively sampled key informants who were LCC, Ministry of Local Government Headquarters, Local Government Service Commission, Decentralisation Secretariat, District Administration Office, Transferred Members of staff, and Foundation for Democratic Processes. The Focus Group Discussion Guide was used to collect data from male and female executive members of an operational Ward Development Committee (WDC). The data were thematically analysed. The study established that implementation of the Decentralisation Policy by LCC has not been fully actualised. The findings have also shown that in an effort to implement the NDP, the strategies which LCC has been using include the establishment of the Interim Committees in the absence of WDC’s and these have been found not to be ideal for NDP implementation. It has also been established that the failure to fully implement the NDP by LCC resulted mainly from, unactualised fiscal decentralization, temporary suspension of the process of establishing WDC’s, and reluctance by some officers to devolve to local authorities. In conclusion, LCC has not yet attained full implementation of decentralisation by devolution a type of decentralisation which Zambia has gone for, and in order to ensure that decentralisation by devolution is fully implemented, there is need for harmonisation of inconsistencies in the law, enhance the process of establishing platforms for community participation, and to ensure the matching resources follow functions among others. Key Terms: Decentralisation, Devolution, Fiscal Decentralisation, Intergovernmental Fiscal Architecture, Finance Follow Functions.
Description
Master of Science in Spatial Planning.
Keywords
Decentralization in government--Zambia. , Decentralization in government--Zambia--Lusaka district. , Implementation of the decentralisation policy in Zambia.
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