Influence of Civil Society Organizations in Promoting Democratic Governance: A Case of Select Civil Society Organizations in Juba, South Sudan

Civil Society organization refers to organized groups of people who operate in the communities with a purpose of influencing the behavior of the society in a manner distinct from both government and business organizations. Civil society organizations can play a big role in promoting democratic governance in a country. This may only be achievable if all governance organs operate in a transparent manner. The aim of this study was to assess the strategies used by Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in promoting democratic governance in the Republic of South Sudan, by looking at two CSOs in South Sudan known for their strong advocacy for democratic governance and adherence to democratic principles in governance. The study was guided by the following specific objectives which include: Investigation into the strategy of Civil Society Organizations in promoting democratic governance by training leaders in South Sudan : An examination of the strategy of local leadership in promoting democratic governance in South Sudan by creating political awareness and economic development: and to assess the need for reviewing the existing laws and policies in order to promote democratic governance in South Sudan. The study was guided by two theories; Theory of Conflict – Karl Marx which holds that society is controlled by those in power hence disagreements always arise between the poor and the rich and theory of Social Capital Theory by Putman which believes that the benefits of social capital accruing to the community encompasses norms and networks which facilitates the collective actions for mutual benefits. This study adopted descriptive survey design. This design is preferred as it helps the researcher determine the extent to which each independent variable is related with the dependent variable. Target population comprised of 350 people from two civil society organizations and residents and important stakeholders from South Sudan. Key informants were purposively sampled from leaders of the local government and representatives from the civil society organization under study. Stratified sampling technique was used to select a sample size of 187 respondents who was selected from target population comprising of three clusters/groups. Purposive sampling was used to select the respondents necessary for interview. Data was collected by use of interview process (for the key informants) discussion guide for focus group discussion and a questionnaire was designed for community members. Data was analyzed using both content and theme analysis and was presented in form of frequency tables, charts, graphs and narrative report. The researcher used Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 in the analyzing quantitative data.The CSOs had carefully chosen and implemented in various cases that have been critical in achieving their intended objectives. Further, the findings showed that the strategies put in place so far had significantly proved to be effective in getting the general public as well as the government of South Sudan and its different agents in supporting the initiatives of the CSOs, there by promoting democracy in the country.