Ayitenew, Zemelak (PhD)Joseph, Gonyiri2019-09-262023-11-082019-09-262023-11-082019-06http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/19186Motivated by the fact that South Sudan is a new country with new setups for local governance and facing many challenges, including shortage of trained cadre in administration, after decades of conflict, this study sets out to explore the extent and strength of involvement of traditional authorities in performing local governance tasks. It is exclusively based on review of relevant literature on South Sudan and four learning countries (Botswana, Ghana, South Africa and Zimbabwe) based on three research questions. Analysis found out that much as mechanisms based on constitutional provisions and legal frameworks have been created, traditional leadership institutions were grossly neglected. For this reason, these institutions could not effectively play their roles as it was the case under colonial and pre-independence governments, which amounts to their underutilization at the time when the country actually needs it most. The study came out with three recommendations to the current and future governments of South Sudan and other important actors. First, the government should draw lessons from the good experiences of the four African countries examined in a parallel study. Second, it is the government’s legal obligation to implement the provisions of the constitution and the enacted Local Government Act regarding the utilization and integration of traditional authority systems into local government systems. Third, government should allocate adequate financial resources in the national annual budgets to sustain traditional leadership institutions and to help them effectively serve the rural populations, especially in remote areas. The study also makes additional recommendations to the civil society and traditional leaders themselves, to exert pressure on the government to fulfil their constitutional mandate of integrating traditional iii leadership into local governance systems, and to enable the environment for sustenance of this desired mutual collaboration, which is anticipated to have long-term developmental benefits to the country at large.enLawThesis