Decentralization and Service Delivery in Somaliland

ABSTRACT The study is about Decentralization and service delivery Somaliland. The study examined the relationship between Decentralization and service delivery in Somaliland. The specific objectives of the study were to clarify the impact of decentralization on service delivery in Somaliland, evaluate whether the elected local councilors are serving to the Public better than the previous nominated District commissioner, and the third objective was to identify whether local councilors are really accountable to the Public. The study used correlational research design on a population of the capital city of Somaliland, Hargeisa, the study has stratified the city of Hargeisa in to five different districts and selected two of these three districts, and then the study has randomly selected 160 respondents, in addition to that the study has purposively selected 14 local councilors and 10 university professors. The study has used both questionnaires and interviews for data collection. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS by using cross tabulation, frequencies and correlations analyses. The study found out that decentralization has resulted better services to the public, and that local councilors are performing better than the single mayors nominated by the central government of Somaliland, in addition to that the study has identified that majority of the local councilors need capacity building and extensive training to effectively perform their duties. Furthermore, the study found out that local councilors are not accountable to the public, and that there is lack of communications channels between councilors and people, therefore in order to realize effective decentralization, the study has recommended that voters should base their votes by merit rather than tribalism and kinship, and that local councilors need to merge with private organizations and civil society and privatize some of their responsibilities

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter Page

One THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE 1

Background of the Study 1

Statement of the Problem 3

Purpose of the Study 4

Research Objectives 4

Research Questions 5

Scope 5

Significance of the Study 6

Two REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 7

Definition of Decentralization 7

Concepts, Ideas, Opinions from Authors/Experts 7

Theory of Decentralization 9

Related Studies 14

Three METHODOLOGY 24

Research Design 24

Research Population 24

Sample 25

Research Instrument 26

Validity and Reliability of the Instrument 26

Data Collection 27

Data Analysis 27

Ethical Consideration 27

Limitations of the Study 28

Four PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 29

OF DATA

Introduction 29

Research Objective One 29

Research Objective Two 31

Research Objective Three: 35

Five FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 39

Findings 39

Condusions 43

Recommendions 44

References 46

Appendices 49

Appendix I - Transmittal Letter 49

Appendix II - Research Instrument 50

Appendix III — Calculation of Content validity index 55

Appendix IV - Interpretation of the index 56

Appendix V - Researcher’s Curriculum Vitae 57