Participatory planning - challenges for optimal community involvement

This paper tries to identify some of the factors which influence the participatory planning process at the district local government while addressing community priorities in development in general and the water and environmental sanitation needs in particular. In 2001, government adopted the participatory planning procedure as a mechanism spear heading planning for local development. The research examines whether 3 years after its introduction, the procedure is delivering as it should basing on case study of one of the districts in Uganda – Bundibugyo district local government. Community involvement in the priority setting for development intervention is a cornerstone for sustainable development and poverty reduction drive as embedded in the legal framework governing development in general and poverty eradication in Uganda. The paper examines the process in which community water and environmental sanitation development priorities / needs are generated and how they are eventually filtered into the district development plans. It also draws a comparison in the quality of the plans developed currently against those developed prior to the introduction of the participatory planning procedure. The research established that while the structures and mechanisms have been established, they have not been fully utilized as laid out in the guidelines and as such there is no optimal community involvement of communities in identifying their development needs in general and how the water and environmental sanitation and hygiene education needs in particular. Some of the reasons advanced for the failure are; • Lack of timely information for planning at all levels. • Capacity of the various stakeholders involved in the planning process. • Lengthy procedure for generating plans leading to taking short cuts in the process. • The cost of the planning process/ procedure.