Enhancing water and sanitation project performance in a developing economy: Role of governance mechanisms and risk management practices
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This paper investigates the relationship between governance mechanisms, risk management practices and performance of water and sanitation projects in Uganda. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted with a sample of 66 water and sanitation projects in South-western Uganda. Data were collected using self-administered structured questionnaires and analyzed by using SmartPls Structural Equation modeling. The results revealed positive and significant relationships between the following pairs of variables: contractual governance and project performance, relational governance and risk management practices, and risk management practices and project performance. However, the hitherto hypothesized positive and significant relationships between relational governance and project performance, and contractual governance and risk management practices were not supported. Furthermore, it was established that risk management practices fully mediate in the relationship between relational governance and project performance, whereas they do not mediate between contractual governance and project performance. The fundamental contribution of this article to the project management literature is the confirmation that risk management practices act as mechanisms through which relational governance helps to maximize project performance in the context of water and sanitation projects in a developing country.
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Clear allocation rules for water rights, extraction limits, priority sectors, and emergency rationing reduce ambiguity and limit contestation during scarcity.
“Clear allocation rules regarding water rights, extraction limits, priority sectors, and emergency rationing reduce ambiguity and limit contestation during scarcity (Tukamuhabwa et al., 2023).”
From Climate Security, Water Governance, and Resilience How Climate-Induced Water Stress and Migration Challenge State Capacity (2026) · cites this paper as Tukamuhabwa et al., 2023
Section 6.2, Practical implications (page not provided), recommends clear contractual obligations and contingency provisions for water and sanitation project contractors. It does not address rules for allocating scarce water or whether such rules reduce ambiguity and contestation. Searches for water rights, extraction limits, emergency rationing, and scarcity found no passage addressing the claim. (LLM, conf=0.76)
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Cardinal Masters in Public Administration, L. U. T., & Zulqarnain, F. (2026) · International Journal of Scientific Interdisciplinary Research · doi:10.63125/28gejw48 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
- Authors
- Tukamuhabwa, B. R., Mutebi, H., Akandwanaho, E., Kabagambe, L., & Tumukunde, I.
- Affiliations
- Makerere University (UG)
- Corresponding author
- Tukamuhabwa, Benjamin R.
- Venue
- Cogent Business & Management
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2023-09-28
- Volume
- 10
- Issue
- 3
- ISSN
- 2331-1975 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4387123420
- Cited by
- 8
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 2
- FWCI
- 1.29
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Cogent Business & Management (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Econstor (Econstor) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Construction Project Management and Performance
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Public-Private Partnership Projects
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Water Governance and Infrastructure
- Keywords
- water and sanitation projects, project performance, governance mechanisms, risk management practices, relational governance, contractual governance, mediation, developing countries, project management, Uganda
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