Autonomy, Capacity and Service Provision of Local Governments in Oromia

Abstract

This article examines the service-delivery roles and functioning of local governments in Ethiopia’s regional state of Oromia. To this end, three local governments – Bishoftu, Ada’a and Akaki – are selected for analysing to what extent these units have been providing local public services, including water and health. This research finds that the local governments are not faring well in delivering public services. On the one hand, the three case studies show that the local units have inadequate capacity to provide water supply services. The regional state of Oromia has not only retained the power to determine the structure, human resources and funding of water-supply projects, but also the Regional Water Bureau plays weak supervision and capacity-building roles. The case studies also reveal that the local governments’ functioning in the provision of water supply has not been under public control, as these units are not held accountable for their performance in the provision of the water supply service. In the urban local context of Bishoftu, for example, the Water Management Board is established by, and accountable to, the Regional Water Bureau; but the Bureau in turn is accountable to the regional cabinet, which is accountable to the regional council, creating a long and upward-facing accountability mechanisms. Turning to the health-service provision, all the legal, policy and regulatory frameworks as well as standards for health service emanate from the federal level; and the regional government has no health policy of its own. The major decision-making on hiring providers and procuring medical equipment and pharmaceuticals rests with the Regional Health Bureau. However, the preventive health
policy of Ethiopia has brought great awareness of health services
and the demands and behaviour of the community have
been influenced accordingly, with the people attending health
centres more often than not. The main factor that impedes effective
health services by urban- and woreda-level governments is
the issue of capacity- the functional responsibilities assigned to
local governments are out of alignment with their capacities. The
empirical evidence also indicates that the community participation
in health-service provision has declined due to governments’
lack of accountability and inability to meet promises in improving
health provision in terms of equity and quality, if not coverage.
Communities even refuse to pay for health insurance because
they believe their money will be stolen by corrupt officials
and trust neither service providers nor local leadership. Thus,
the study contends that no decentralized public service delivery
can be effective unless there are adequate structural, financial,
human and material capabilities at the local government levels.