The primary purpose of this study was to examine the role of good governance practices on public trust in local government. In this study, a conceptual model was developed and tested empirically in Ethiopia by selecting Bahir Dar City Administration. The data analyses yielded the following results. All independent variables were highly influential in describing the public's level of trust in their local government. In this case, participants who perceived the existence of transparency, accountability, and responsiveness had greater trust in the City Administration than their counterparts.

This study is intended to examine the mediating role of citizens’ overall satisfaction on the relationship between good governance practices and public trust in Ethiopian local government. It is based on quantitative research; data was obtained by distributing a survey questionnaire for 440 respondents. The usable questionnaires response rate was 81 percent (n = 357). The study was informed by the institutional theory of trust. The data was then analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (sem). The study findings indicated that citizens’ overall satisfaction had a full mediating role on the relationship between perceived transparency and public trust in local government. However, citizens’ overall satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between perceived accountability, perceived responsiveness, perceived public participation, and public trust in local government. It was further noted that citizens’ overall satisfactions have had no mediating role on the relationship between perceived rule of law and public trust in local government. This meant that the perceived rule of law has a direct relation with public trust in local government.