OBJECTIVE: To understand and elicit the factors influencing compliance with mass treatment with ivermectin for onchocerciasis control with a view of suggesting remedial measures. DESIGN: Qualitative methods using focus group discussion and individual key informant interviews. SETTING: Bushenyi district, Uganda. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty key informants who were local council chairpersons and community directed drug distributors (CDDs) for ivermectin. Five focus group discussions with community members. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Explored knowledge about onchocerciasis and its treatment, consequences, benefits and perceived dangers of treatment with ivermectin. In addition the FGDs elicited information regarding social influence towards ivermectin treatment and who the source of social influences are. Perceived barriers and supports towards ivermectin treatment were also explored. The key informant interviews mainly elicited the problems they face in ivermectin distribution and their suggestions for improvement. RESULTS: Factors that could possibly influence mass treatment with ivermectin that were elicited include consequences of treatment, programme organization, charging for ivermectin distribution and programme/community support to the ivermectin drug distributors. CONCLUSIONS: These results are helpful in redirecting community education and in helping to design further quantitative research.