ENHANCING COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT IN UGANDA
(2024)Department of Service Studies
- Abstract
- Uganda faces various challenges related to compliance, including tax evasion, regulatory non-
compliance, and violations of legal standards, laws, policies and regulations among others. These
issues undermine the government's ability to collect revenue, provide public services, and maintain
law and order. Enhancing compliance is not only a matter of enforcing penalties but also involves
creating an environment that encourages voluntary compliance.
The Ministry of Water and Environment has the mandate of regulating the use of water resources
in the country. The Directorate of Water Resources Management uses permits as a tool for
regulating the use of the resource for sustainable and equitable use. Permits issued have conditions
... (More) - Uganda faces various challenges related to compliance, including tax evasion, regulatory non-
compliance, and violations of legal standards, laws, policies and regulations among others. These
issues undermine the government's ability to collect revenue, provide public services, and maintain
law and order. Enhancing compliance is not only a matter of enforcing penalties but also involves
creating an environment that encourages voluntary compliance.
The Ministry of Water and Environment has the mandate of regulating the use of water resources
in the country. The Directorate of Water Resources Management uses permits as a tool for
regulating the use of the resource for sustainable and equitable use. Permits issued have conditions
attached to them and it is through compliance to the issued permit conditions that the resource can
be used sustainably. The Compliance and Enforcement Division has the overall task of enforcing
compliance with issued permit conditions in collaboration with staff from other Divisions and the
Zonal offices.
The Directorate of Water Resources Management (DWRM) of the Ministry of Water and
Environment is responsible for sustainable and integrated management of water resources in
Uganda. The mission for the DWRM is: To manage and develop the water resources of Uganda in
an integrated and sustainable manner in order to provide water of adequate quantity and quality
for socioeconomic needs for both the present and future generations. Among the DWRM’s other
responsibilities is that of regulating the use of water resources in Uganda through water use permits
and ensuring compliance and enforcement of water resources regulations, standards and permit
conditions.
Over the past 10 years since the Water Regulations were issued, the DWRM identifies the
following factors having accounted for the registered enforcement shortcomings:
a) Some water users have not realized the likelihood of being detected to be illegally using water.
This has tended to undermine their interest to register and apply for permits.
b) DWRM not been effective and swift in responding to deter offenders in water use because of
limited resources and capacity.
c) Due to limited resources and capacity, non-effective weak sanctions (notices and reminders),
have been applied against non-compliant users.
d) There is poor understanding of the benefits of Water Act and associated regulations among the
water users due to poor communication on part of regulatory agency.
e) Weak enforcement of the Water Act
The Water Resources Planning and Regulation Department maintains a permit database containing
a total of 3500 in number of permit holders distributed over the four zones. Of these permits, Five
Hundred and Thirty One (531) are expired which is about 15.2% of the total number of permits.
This manuscript therefore seeks to guide the monitoring of compliance to issued permit conditions
and task permit holder permit holders to perform their obligations. It is expected that from this
manuscript or essay, the ministry staff will be to pick strategic plans for ensuring that compliance
levels of their different units are increased at least 30% towards the monitoring of compliance to
issued permit conditions. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9175856
- author
- Musimenta, Pamela
- supervisor
- organization
- year
- 2024
- type
- L3 - Miscellaneous, Projetcs etc.
- subject
- language
- English
- id
- 9175856
- date added to LUP
- 2024-10-02 13:23:07
- date last changed
- 2024-10-02 13:23:07
@misc{9175856,
abstract = {{Uganda faces various challenges related to compliance, including tax evasion, regulatory non-
compliance, and violations of legal standards, laws, policies and regulations among others. These
issues undermine the government's ability to collect revenue, provide public services, and maintain
law and order. Enhancing compliance is not only a matter of enforcing penalties but also involves
creating an environment that encourages voluntary compliance.
The Ministry of Water and Environment has the mandate of regulating the use of water resources
in the country. The Directorate of Water Resources Management uses permits as a tool for
regulating the use of the resource for sustainable and equitable use. Permits issued have conditions
attached to them and it is through compliance to the issued permit conditions that the resource can
be used sustainably. The Compliance and Enforcement Division has the overall task of enforcing
compliance with issued permit conditions in collaboration with staff from other Divisions and the
Zonal offices.
The Directorate of Water Resources Management (DWRM) of the Ministry of Water and
Environment is responsible for sustainable and integrated management of water resources in
Uganda. The mission for the DWRM is: To manage and develop the water resources of Uganda in
an integrated and sustainable manner in order to provide water of adequate quantity and quality
for socioeconomic needs for both the present and future generations. Among the DWRM’s other
responsibilities is that of regulating the use of water resources in Uganda through water use permits
and ensuring compliance and enforcement of water resources regulations, standards and permit
conditions.
Over the past 10 years since the Water Regulations were issued, the DWRM identifies the
following factors having accounted for the registered enforcement shortcomings:
a) Some water users have not realized the likelihood of being detected to be illegally using water.
This has tended to undermine their interest to register and apply for permits.
b) DWRM not been effective and swift in responding to deter offenders in water use because of
limited resources and capacity.
c) Due to limited resources and capacity, non-effective weak sanctions (notices and reminders),
have been applied against non-compliant users.
d) There is poor understanding of the benefits of Water Act and associated regulations among the
water users due to poor communication on part of regulatory agency.
e) Weak enforcement of the Water Act
The Water Resources Planning and Regulation Department maintains a permit database containing
a total of 3500 in number of permit holders distributed over the four zones. Of these permits, Five
Hundred and Thirty One (531) are expired which is about 15.2% of the total number of permits.
This manuscript therefore seeks to guide the monitoring of compliance to issued permit conditions
and task permit holder permit holders to perform their obligations. It is expected that from this
manuscript or essay, the ministry staff will be to pick strategic plans for ensuring that compliance
levels of their different units are increased at least 30% towards the monitoring of compliance to
issued permit conditions.}},
author = {{Musimenta, Pamela}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{ENHANCING COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT IN UGANDA}},
year = {{2024}},
}