Local governance, EPRDF rule and peasants in Oromia National Regional State, Ethiopia

Local governments at the lower level mediate between the state and peasants. Successive Ethiopian regimes weakened ‘autonomous’ rural elites, preferring cadres dependent on them to run local governments, and fostering ‘upward accountability’. The Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (1991-2018) used local governments, such as Kebeles and Woredas, to control peasants. Few studies exist on state-peasant relationships in Oromia, the largest regional state where the EPRDF faced serious legitimacy issues. This study examines rural governance in Oromia by analyzing two case studies: Dawo Woreda and Sululta town. Interviews, Focus Group Discussions, and consultation of secondary sources were used to collect the data. The study found EPRDF did not allow local governments to become site of self-rule, rather used them to dominate the peasantry. However, there are improvements in local governance after the contentious election of 2005. Afterward, there was a push to use ‘model farmers’ in rural governance to solidify support for the regime. These created some acceptance of rural policies of the regime, despite continued skepticism due to the perception of Tigrean dominance and repression under EPRDF. The study suggests we need to look beyond formal institutions to understand the exercise of power at the local level in peasant societies.