MJAMR

Citification And Service Delivery: A Case Study Of West Division, Lira City

Owilo Justine Okello, Oumo Gideon


Abstract

This study examines the effect of citification-the elevation of a municipality to city status and the accompanying administrative, infrastructural, and institutional restructuring on service delivery, using West Division, Lira City as a case study. Lira attained city status in 2020, a transition that reorganized local governance structures, expanded revenue mandates, and raised citizen expectations for improved services. The study is guided by three objectives: to examine the administrative and institutional changes brought about by citification in West Division, to assess the level of service delivery in West Division since attaining city status, and to establish the relationship between citification and service delivery. A cross-sectional survey design is proposed, targeting residents, local council leaders, and city technical staff in West Division. Data would be analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression. This report presents an illustrative results template using clearly labelled simulated data showing the expected structure and interpretation of descriptive, correlation, and regression tables. The study anticipates finding that citification dimensions (institutional capacity, revenue mobilisation, and infrastructural investment) are positively associated with service delivery outcomes such as waste management, road maintenance, and health and sanitation services, and concludes with recommendations for Lira City Council and national urban policy. Key Words: Citification, Urbanisation, Service Delivery, Local Government, Lira City, West Division, Decentralisation 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Background to the Study Citification refers to the formal process by which a municipality or town council is elevated to city status, typically accompanied by expanded administrative structures, new revenue-raising powers, and heightened expectations of service delivery befitting urban status (UN-Habitat, 2020). In many African contexts, urbanisation has outpaced the
Metropolitan Journal of Academic Multidisciplinary Research

Cite This Article

Owilo Justine Okello & Oumo Gideon (2026). Citification And Service Delivery: A Case Study Of West Division, Lira City. Metropolitan Journal of Academic Multidisciplinary Research, 5(7). https://journals.miu.ac.ug/pages/article.php?article_id=734

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