Browsing by Author "Naha, Ignatius Matete"
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- ItemFull decentralisation of powers, resources and functions in the Kingdom of Lesotho : an evaluation from a developmental local government perspective(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-12) Naha, Ignatius Matete; Daniels, David; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. School of Public Leadership.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Local government in Lesotho was established in 2005 with 128 Community Councils, 1 Municipal Council and 10 District Councils. In 2011, Community Councils were reduced to a total of 64 with one Maseru Municipality, 11 urban councils and 10 District councils. The Lesotho local government is enshrined in the 1993 National Constitution which spells out through section 106 that “parliament shall establish such local authorities as it deems necessary to enable urban and rural communities to determine their affairs and develop themselves. Such authorities shall perform functions as may be conferred by an act of parliament”. Decentralisation in Lesotho is embedded in the operationalisation of the Local Government Act (LGA) and the legislation that supports it. LGA serves as the guiding legislation for decentralisation of powers, resources and functions. Decentralisation within the Kingdom of Lesotho is partial. This study evaluates whether LGA is effectively utilized, decentralisation well comprehended, conceptualised and fully implemented. Decentralisation within the Kingdom of Lesotho evolved from the developmental context hence lofty, normatively inspired, national and internationally advocated goals are linked to successful implementation of local government. The goals in point include the Vision 2020, Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS), Local Economic Development (LED), HIV and AIDS, Public Sector Improvement Reform Programme (PSIRP) and Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s). It is the objective of this study to enhance the understanding of decentralisation, evaluate decentralisation and local government in Lesotho from a developmental perspective. This study aims to add to a body of knowledge by providing an ethical, managerial, decisional, educational and motivational purpose because decentralisation and local government are at the centre of development in the Kingdom of Lesotho. Various concepts, approaches, strategies, theories, models and processes of decentralisation are described and explained along with the benefits and the type of decentralisation pursued by Lesotho. The evaluation methodology of the study covers the selection and verification or refutation of all value claims and the data is synthesized. Readiness, knowledge, understanding and attitudes of personnel from line ministries, political and public officials from Ministry of Local Government and Chieftainship (MoLGC), local authorities, the electorate and social media are determined. This is done through individual interviews and personal contact and insight whereby the researcher has personal interaction with research participants. The structured questionnaire is also used. Councils in Lesotho are determined by their autonomy in having decentralised powers, functions and resources and ability to contribute to the overall development and goals of the local populace and the nation. Legislation, policies, and guidelines of reform are evaluated and analysed though content analysis. The mixed method and qualitative approach is used to focus on processes that occurred with the implementation and establishment of local government. Overt versus covert method, observation and participation are used as well as the Fourth Generation Evaluation. Non-probability sampling has been used in the form of snowball, quota, accidental and purposive structure. The findings indicated that local government is a gateway to fighting HIV/AIDS and bringing about development in Lesotho, however decentralisation and citizen participation are just a formality. There is centralisation within decentralisation within which power is concentrated in District Council and MoLGC. The study established that local governments have a limited political, administrative and fiscal mandate. There are no local government associations to advocate the interests and development of local authorities. Local governments are yet to given a mandate to manage natural resources, local economies and revenues while on the other hand there is an under-consumption of natural resources to alleviate poverty, create employment and bring about prosperity. There is no clear LED approach and other national policies are not implemented. LGA and the supporting legislation are not effectively used. The inter-governmental relations on the other hand are yet to be addressed. There has been limited conceptual clarity on policy, the type of decentralisation to be pursued and political direction of the decentralisation reform. This has resulted in the resistance from the line ministries to devolve functions. Resistance is further fuelled by political opponents and chiefs who feel threatened that they have no role to play in local governance. The twelve-year decentralisation action plan which has a two–year transition phase 2004-2005, second phase (2006-2011) in which additional functions were expected to be decentralised and third phase (2012-2016) which is a consolidation phase in which operations were to be refined and which has failed. The findings and analysis lead to the conclusion that the Kingdom of Lesotho is highly centralised and that public and elected office-bearers have a limited knowledge about decentralisation and local government. The study concluded by putting forward recommendations to address the problems that besiege the KoL. The recommendations correspond with the findings namely, the current reality, resources, governance, audit, monitoring and evaluation. This study has achieved its objectives because it provides literature on decentralisation and local government within both international and local context while gaps have been identified and analysis provided along with recommendations necessary to address loopholes in decentralisation and Developmental Local Government in Lesotho.