Challenges Versus Prospects of Political Decentralization on the Practice of Local Participation: The Case of Sodo Town Administration, Wolaita Zone, Ethiopia

: The title of this study is the challenges versus prospects of political decentralization on the practice of local participation: the case of Sodo town administration, Wolaita zone, Ethiopia. Its objective is to identify the challenges and prospect of political decentralization on local participation. This study employed both primary and secondary data. In primary data questionnaires and interview were used to collect data and various literatures on political decentralization as well as local participation would be reviewed as secondary data were used. Sample respondent were taken as sample 18 from 45 public workers. Quantitative techniques of the data were analyzed using in percents and table while qualitative techniques of the data were analyzed in word and sentence the collected data from respondents; the major finding of the research assured challenges of political decentralization on local participation increases self-interest, lack of equal distribution, corruption, maladministration. Whereas, the negative impact of political decentralization was creating secession between the villages; disagreement among the employs; lack of the quality of work or unable to work similar function. Political decentralization is important for the improvement and the development of local participation because it give for the community to elect their own representative and to solve the local problem in short time. Political decentralization played greet role to give freedom for local community to participation on their own local political economic and social issue without any discrimination and the official and the people work together to solve their local problem.