Browsing by Author "Bidandi, Fred"

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    The dynamics of urbanisation in Kampala, Uganda: Towards a possible alternative policy framework
    (University of the Western Cape, 2015) Bidandi, Fred; Williams, J.J.
    The purpose of the study is to investigate the dynamics explaining Kampala's urbanisation, with a view of analysing their implications for an alternative urban policy framework for this city. This study was motivated by the fact that information about these dynamics and their policy implications was scanty; yet its understanding in a comprehensive manner was necessary to develop a suitable urban policy for Kampala. Consequently, this study was set to meet four objectives, which focused on (1) analysing the informal dynamics explaining Kampala's urbanisation from 1990 to 2013 and their policy implications; (2) investigating the formal dynamics responsible for the urbanisation of Kampala City from 1990 to 2013 and their policy implications; (3) establishing residents' satisfaction dynamics defining Kampala City urban changes resulting from official dynamics undertaken from 1990 to 2013 and their policy implications; and (4) identifying the dynamics that needed to be integrated in a policy framework that can be used to effectively prevent or halt Kampala's unplanned urbanisation while promoting planned urbanisation. To achieve these objectives, the study adopted a mixed methods design. The sample constituted 24 purposively selected key informants and 720 city residents selected using multistage sampling. Data were collected using interviews, focus group discussions and questionnaires. Qualitative data were analysed using narrative and thematic techniques complimented by the descriptive method. This method was also used together with the factor analysis method to analyse quantitative data. Findings revealed that the informal dynamics that explained Kampala's unplanned urbanisation during the period 1990-2013 included unofficial administrative dynamics; unofficial political influence; political unrest caused by internal and regional civil wars; the city's attractiveness to jobseekers, job-makers and migrants from war-ravaged areas; and excessive rural poverty and underdevelopment. The formal dynamics which explained Kampala's urbanisation during the same period included official administrative dynamics, government political intervention, modernisation agenda implemented through government investment promotion programme, legal framework, and urban policy dynamics.
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    Insights and current debates on community engagement in higher education institutions: Perspectives on the University of the Western Cape
    (SAGE Publications, 2021) Bidandi, Fred; Ambe, Anthony Nforh; Mukong, Claudia Haking
    This study investigated the insights and current debates on community engagement in higher education institutions with specific reference to the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in South Africa. The article argues that although community engagement seems to present some challenges, it has become an integral part of higher education in South Africa and beyond. The article examines community engagement in higher education institutions and evaluates its contributions based on the research question. The article evaluates community engagement from the perspective of the UWC, community, and students. Data were collected through semi-structured with key informants. In total, 12 participants participated in the interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The results of the study show that community engagement is dependent on institutions� relationships built between particular communities, which are easily lost if the people involved change. The results also show that community engagement has become a requisite for promotion and policy development. However, it reveals that issues of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) often take time affecting students and researchers. Moreover, the findings indicate that there is no standard procedure for community engagement as departments, individual lecturers, and students have unique and different interests.
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    The responsibility of government and society towards social cohesion: A family perspective
    (University of Pretoria, 2021) Bidandi, Fred; Roman, Nicolette; Davids, Gregory
    Social cohesion, the foundation that keeps society together, is influenced by various inter-related factors such as education social, cultural, religious, and business, among others. Current debates indicates that unless social cohesion in its various dimensions is addressed, be it through reconciliation, tackling inequality, crafting a national identity, or bridging rural-urban divides, the implementation of any Southern African Development Plan will be challenging. In this paper, social cohesion is viewed as an intervention for coexistence; as an invitation to find common ground and allowing the sharing of social spaces; and to forge a common identity whilst recognising societal diversity. This paper postulates that although social cohesion is intended to contribute towards nation-building and national unity, government policies are fundamental to the advancement thereof.
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    The terrain of urbanisation process and policy frameworks: A critical analysis of the Kampala experience
    (Cogent OA, 2017) Bidandi, Fred; Williams, John J.
    Kampala is urbanising in an unplanned manner, but without a clear picture of the underlying dynamics. The city is characterised by lack of proper zoning of economic activities and construction of physical infrastructure without regard to subsequent spatial quality and environmental conservation. Consequently, there are sharp differences in residential standards where expensive housing and luxury flats co-exist with shanty towns and informal settlements, with about 60% of the city’s population living in unplanned informal settlements and often faced with challenges of unemployment. The unprecedented increase in the urban population in Kampala and the prospects for further increases in the near future have economic and social implications concerning employment, housing, education and health, among others. Understanding the nature of the dynamics of the growth or decline of cities like Kampala helps planners to support the processes that lead to harmonious urban development and to deal with the negative consequences of urban growth. This paper reflects the urbanisation dynamics explaining Kampala’s urbanisation process with the view to analysing the implications for an alternative urban policy framework. It argues that the conditions that have allowed the situation to exist have serious policy implications which require the need for an integrated policy framework that can be used to effectively prevent or halt Kampala’s unplanned urbanisation while promoting planned urbanisation. Induced by the migration and lack of information, understanding urban dynamics is crucial to the development of urban policies that can effectively ensure that further urban changes occur in a systematic and satisfactory manner. The current urban process in developing countries like Uganda is associated with poverty, environmental degradation and population demands that outstrip service capacity.
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    The terrain of urbanisation process and policy frameworks: A critical analysis of the Kampala experience
    (Cogent OA, 2017) Bidandi, Fred; Williams, John J.
    Kampala is urbanising in an unplanned manner, but without a clear picture of the underlying dynamics. The city is characterised by lack of proper zoning of economic activities and construction of physical infrastructure without regard to subsequent spatial quality and environmental conservation. Consequently, there are sharp differences in residential standards where expensive housing and luxury flats co-exist with shanty towns and informal settlements, with about 60% of the city’s population living in unplanned informal settlements and often faced with challenges of unemployment. The unprecedented increase in the urban population in Kampala and the prospects for further increases in the near future have economic and social implications concerning employment, housing, education and health, among others. Understanding the nature of the dynamics of the growth or decline of cities like Kampala helps planners to support the processes that lead to harmonious urban development and to deal with the negative consequences of urban growth.
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    Understanding refugee durable solutions by international players: Does dialogue form a missing link?
    (Taylor and Francis Group, 2018) Bidandi, Fred
    This study evaluates durable solutions in relation to refugees from EastAfrica. It particularly focuses on the Great Lakes countries of Rwanda, Burundi,Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The study is based on the conviction thatthese four countries have never had peaceful transfer of power which in essence hasbeen a major contributing factor to political violence that has caused forced massmigration in the region to this day. The use of force or military suppression has been anorm since independence of these countries in the early 1960s. This suppression hascontinuously forced many people to fleetheir homes facing abuse of their humanrights, dictatorship, persecution, indiscriminate arrests, ethnic wars and politicalviolence.
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    Understanding refugee durable solutions by international players: Does dialogue form a missing link?
    (Cogent OA, 2018) Bidandi, Fred
    This study evaluates durable solutions in relation to refugees from East Africa. It particularly focuses on the Great Lakes countries of Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The study is based on the conviction that these four countries have never had peaceful transfer of power which in essence has been a major contributing factor to political violence that has caused forced mass migration in the region to this day. The use of force or military suppression has been a norm since independence of these countries in the early 1960s. This suppression has continuously forced many people to flee their homes facing abuse of their human rights, dictatorship, persecution, indiscriminate arrests, ethnic wars and political violence. Based on a survey used to collect data and in-depth interviews with selected refugees from the Great Lakes region living in Cape Town, South Africa, this paper seeks to understand durable solutions through analysing the current refugee situation. It demonstrates that durable solutions can present both challenges and solutions. It also revisits the concept of durable solutions and seeks to re-evaluate whether these various solutions offer a chance for dialogue. With the aid of a legal perspective on the refugee situation in the region, the paper qualifies the concepts of dialogue as a mechanism for peace building as well as driver for voluntary repatriation.
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    Understanding urban land, politics, and planning: A critical appraisal of Kampala's urban sprawl
    (Elsevier, 2020) Bidandi, Fred; Williams, John J.
    This paper seeks to make a contribution to contemporary urban land insights and political debates in relation to planning in the Ugandan capital, Kampala. It also evaluates how the city authorities engage with communities on land and related urban issues. Scholars have generally ignored the important aspect of community engagement regarding planning in Kampala. Moreover, political power relations seem to influence if not determine social conditions at the grassroots level. In this paper urban land is defined from competing perspectives vis-à-vis lived experiences at the grassroots level. This paper seeks to understand the urban land question through the lens of Henri Lefebvre's writings on the production of space and the right to the city. Questions this study seeks to answer include: Why is politics at the centre of land in Kampala? How is community engagement on land and planning understood by city government? After exploratory research and a review of extant literature, this study utilised an interview guide to collect primary empirical data.