Interagency collaboration and agile humanitarian crises response among humanitarian organizations in Uganda

Abstract

The escalating frequency and complexity of both natural and anthropogenic disasters have exposed serious structural and coordination weaknesses within Uganda’s humanitarian systems. As these shocks intensify, long-standing structural weaknesses have become more visible, particularly the persistent fragmentation of institutional arrangements. This fragmentation undermines effective information sharing, coordination, and timely resource mobilization, thereby constraining the development of the preparedness and operational agility required for coherent and effective humanitarian action. This study, therefore, investigates interagency collaboration as a strategic mechanism to strengthen disaster preparedness, risk management, and agile humanitarian response in Uganda. Using a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 142 respondents across 60 purposively selected organizations through structured questionnaires, key informant interviews, and document reviews. Employing regression analysis, the findings indicate that interagency collaboration, disaster preparedness, and risk management collectively explain 42.4% of the variation in humanitarian agility, demonstrating their critical role in enhancing organizational responsiveness. Further, mediation analysis reveals that disaster preparedness partially mediates the relationship between interagency collaboration and agile response within the framework. Complementary thematic and documentary analyses corroborate these results, highlighting that collaborative approaches enhance readiness, optimize resource allocation, reduce inefficiencies, and foster timely interventions in crisis contexts, while reducing the significant role of often reactive, fragmented, and poorly operationalized risk management interventions in humanitarian contexts. Nevertheless, the findings acknowledge the influence of additional contextual factors beyond the scope of the study that shape humanitarian agility. The study concludes that redesigning organizational structures to institutionalize interagency synergy is vital for strengthening disaster preparedness, managing complex risks, and enabling coordinated, adaptive, and effective responses to humanitarian crises.