Flood Risk Governance and Community Resilience in Nyamwamba Division, Kasese Municipality, Uganda
Abstract
Flooding remains a major governance and resilience challenge in rapidly urbanising African settlements. This study examined the relationship between flood risk governance structures and community resilience in Nyamwamba Division, Kasese Municipality, Uganda. The study was guided by Risk Governance Theory, which emphasises coordinated, transparent and participatory management of complex risks, and Resilience Theory, which conceptualises resilience as the capacity to absorb disturbance, recover and adapt. A cross-sectional explanatory sequential mixed-methods design (QUAN → qual) was used. Of 392 targeted households, 353 provided usable questionnaires (90.1%), while nine key informants participated in the qualitative strand. Flood risk governance was measured through institutional frameworks, policies and regulations, stakeholder engagement and early warning systems, while community resilience reflected absorptive, recovery and adaptive capacities. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation, whereas interview data were analysed thematically and integrated with the quantitative results through narrative weaving and a joint display. Overall flood risk governance was moderate (M = 3.23, SD = 0.67); early warning systems were rated highest (M = 3.57, SD = 0.75), whereas policies and regulations were comparatively weaker (M = 3.05, SD = 0.82). Flood risk governance was positively and significantly related to community resilience (r = .565, p < .001). Qualitative findings indicated that warning dissemination and emergency coordination were comparatively visible, but preventive coordination, policy enforcement and substantive community participation were less consistent. The study concludes that governance strengthens resilience when institutional roles, participatory mechanisms and warning systems operate as a coherent local system rather than mainly during emergencies. It recommends routine inter-agency coordination, stronger and socially sensitive enforcement, institutionalised community participation and multi-channel actionable early warning.