School-Level Bribery in Public Primary Education in Uganda

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Martin Söderberg
Edward Kumakech
Vanja Berggren

Abstract

Despite stern anticorruption laws, and the government’s pronounced ambition to offer education free of charge, there is evidence to suggest that many families in Uganda with children in public primary schools get solicitated for bribes. The present study examines why ordinary Ugandan parents and schoolteachers recurrently become involved in the lose-lose game of bribery. Drawing primarily on household survey data, this case study takes a deep dive into the institutional “bad barrels” in Uganda, and discusses the dynamics of school-level corruption alongside its effects on policy implementation. For the purpose of this analysis, principal-agent, collective action, and institutional theory, as well as problem-solving functionality and collaborative-network perspectives, are integrated into an ecological framework. By combining these different but complementary theoretical approaches, the study highlights the interaction between social, economic, cultural, relational, and situational factors that may make bribery seem necessary, rational, and worth the risk.

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How to Cite
Söderberg, M., Kumakech , E., & Berggren, V. (2026). School-Level Bribery in Public Primary Education in Uganda. Modern Africa: Politics, History and Society, 14(2), 119–148. https://doi.org/10.26806/modafr.v14i2.668
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Author Biographies

Martin Söderberg, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm

He is an affiliated researcher at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences, and Society at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. He is a sociologist with a PhD from the University of Vienna, Austria, and has significant experience of fieldwork and research in both East Africa and the Middle East. Martin has worked as a schoolteacher in Mbale, Uganda and has research interests in Ugandan primary education policy and practice.

Edward Kumakech , Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Lira University, Lira

He is an Associate Professor of Nursing and Midwifery at Lira University, Uganda, with a PhD in Health and Medical Sciences from Örebro University, Sweden. He has 71 publications focusing on HIV, HPV, and cervical cancer, as well as on sexual, reproductive, and maternal health and education. Edward is an award-winning researcher behind digital health innovations such as UgaMedic, and has leadership roles in several nursing and academic associations.

Vanja Berggren, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm; Department of Health Care Sciences, Marie Cederschiold, Stockholm

She is an Associate Professor of Public Health in Stockholm, Sweden, holding a senior research position at Karolinska Institute with extensive research experience from both rural and urban Uganda. Vanja has 60 research publications focusing on children’s and women’s health and education. She co-ordinates an international network on global health, has led multiple Swedish government missions against female genital mutilation, and is active in debates on global health and education.