Much of what citizens understand as “the state” in Uganda is encountered not through constitutional provisions, but through everyday interactions with officials local administrators, police officers, and service providers. In my own fieldwork and observation, it became clear that these encounters are rarely governed solely by formal rules.
Informality structures how governance actually works. Access to services, enforcement of regulations, and protection from state power often depend on negotiation, discretion, and personal relationships. These practices coexist with formal institutions and, in many cases, enable them to function.
What struck me early on was that informality is not experienced by citizens as disorder, but as a predictable if unequal mode of governance. Understanding this reality is essential for explaining both political stability and popular frustration in Uganda.
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