We would like to invite all students, partners and the broader ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ community to our Institute of Development Policy (IOB) guest lecture series. This spring, we welcome two renowned international experts who will share fresh perspectives on today’s most pressing global challenges.
Whether you study development studies, social sciences, economics, politics, or simply have a curiosity for global affairs, these sessions by Schlain Bhayla and Sophie Komujuni will broaden your academic horizon beyond the classroom.
Decolonising M&E Systems Lecture | 22 April 2026 | 14:00-15.50
As the world moves toward a post-aid era, many questions are emerging about development outcomes and the most effective and efficient ways to achieve them. Are traditional approaches to development still the answer? What systems are best suited to help us understand success and change? Most importantly, how do we move toward decolonised development practices, tools, and ways of thinking? These questions have been circulating among decision-makers and development practitioners - particularly among local Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) practitioners who often design and implement M&E systems.
Additionally, as multilateral development organisations, bilateral donors, and international NGOs face budget cuts and increasing pressure to fill funding gaps created by shifting aid dynamics, effective M&E systems have become even more crucial. Programmes are now expected to achieve greater impact with fewer resources and show this through their M&E systems. However, M&E systems have historically reflected Western values and approaches to measurement, learning, and evidence, rather than being designed for and grounded in local contexts. This often makes M&E systems useful for accountability but not learning. In this session, we will reflect on ways to begin decolonising M&E systems.
The lecture will explore practical approaches to decolonising different components of M&E systems, examine the politics of this process, and discuss how to collaborate with communities to build locally led M&E systems.
About Schlain Bhayla
Schlain Bhayla is a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist with over 15 years of experience in the development sector. Her multi-sector experience includes work across Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Development, Food Security, Youth Employment and Workforce Readiness programmes. As well as various Corporate Social Responsibility programmes related to local government capacity building, HIV and AIDS, public health and education. She has designed and implemented Monitoring and Evaluation Frameworks and Systems, and has worked as an Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor to train and support development professionals with implementing Monitoring and Evaluation activities in their programmes and projects. Schlain believes that her work in plays a critical role in strengthening accountability, improving program effectiveness, and ultimately driving sustainable change.
She has had the privilege of working with programmes in Australia, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Peru, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States of America and Zimbabwe. Schlain holds a Master of Science degree in Development Evaluation and Management from the Institute of Development Policy. As well as a Master of Management degree with a focus on Public and Development Sector Monitoring and Evaluation from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. She balances her professional dedication with a love for nature and the ocean where she finds inspiration in the outdoors.
Programme
Wednesday 22 April 2026 at C.001 - Stadscampus from 14:00-15.50
Attendance for the ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ community, and ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ students and staff is free, but spots are limited so please register below.
Local Governance Lecture: Customary Authority and Local Governance in a ‘Post-Aid’ world | 27 April 2026 | 14:00-16.00
This lecture examines the changing role of customary chiefs in Acholiland in northern Uganda, particularly in the context of large-scale donor interventions after the civil war and their subsequent decline. During the post-conflict period, international aid agencies invested heavily in peacebuilding, reconstruction, and local governance in northern Uganda. In this process, customary chiefs became important intermediaries between international donors, the Ugandan state, and local communities.
Chiefs were frequently mobilised by aid agencies as local partners in reconciliation initiatives, land dispute mediation, and community-based development programmes. Their authority was therefore not only rooted in local traditions, but also increasingly connected to their ability to engage with external actors and channel development resources into their communities.
To understand these dynamics, the lecture draws on the concepts of extraversion and development brokerage. These concepts help explain how local actors build authority by mediating relationships with powerful external partners such as international donors and NGOs.
However, the decline of donor funding in recent years has significantly altered this landscape. As external resources diminished, the position of customary chiefs also shifted. Rather than focusing primarily on outward engagement with donors and development organisations, many chiefs increasingly turned inward, seeking to reinforce their legitimacy through closer engagement with local communities and customary institutions.
This lecture argues that this shift represents a broader transformation in the nature of customary authority in northern Uganda. It illustrates how customary institutions are not static remnants of tradition, but dynamic political actors whose authority is shaped by changing relationships with the state, international actors, and local society.
About Sophie Komujuni
Dr. Sophie Komujuni is a Senior Researcher at Thrive Research and Innovations Faculty (Uganda). Before that, she was a senior Lecturer, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Mountains of the Moon University. Dr. Komujuni holds a PhD in Political Science from Ghent University. Her academic work spans peace and conflict studies, human rights, transitional justice, governance, and humanitarian law. She has published in academic journals such as African Affairs, or the Journal of Eastern African Studies.
Programme
Monday 27 April 2026 from 14:00-16:00 ONLINE (link is sent to those who are registered)