Human Resources Retention in Local Government: Review of Uganda’s Policy and Institutional Mechanisms for Performance

Abstract

This paper presents results of a study conducted to examine human resource (HR) talent retention in Uganda’s local government in terms of the framework of existing policy and institutional arrangements. The paper derives from a background where, despite policy and institutional reforms, local government public services in less developed countries continue to grapple with the challenge of effectively retaining resourceful employees, which affects the extent and quality of service provision. The reorganisation of local government in Uganda with a separate personnel system of decentralisation, where each district recruits its own staff through the District Service Commissions, but is then maintained under the central government public service policy frame and single-spine salary structure, presents several challenges to local HR performance and retention. Numerous reports highlight concerns about districts facing increasing employee turnover and retention challenges