The National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) is stepping up investment in major water infrastructure projects to meet rising demand as Greater Kampala continues to expand rapidly, with the utility targeting an additional 1.25 million water connections across the country by 2030.

The ambitious expansion plan was highlighted during a national stakeholder engagement held on August 14 at the NWSC International Resource Centre in Bugolobi.

The engagement provided an opportunity for the corporation to openly share its achievements, challenges and future plans with stakeholders, including members of the media.

The discussions also examined the contribution of water and sanitation infrastructure to Uganda’s social and economic transformation.

NWSC Managing Director Eng. Dr Silver Mugisha said the corporation has registered significant growth in its service network and is now positioning itself to reach even more Ugandans over the next five years.

According to Mugisha, the length of NWSC’s water pipeline network has grown from about 6,000 kilometres to 25,000 kilometres, with plans underway to extend it to 30,000 kilometres within the next five years.

The utility’s area of operation has also expanded dramatically from 23 towns to 290 towns, while the number of people accessing its services has risen from approximately 4.5 million to 22 million.
“We are targeting to serve 25 million people within the next five years,” Mugisha said, adding that the corporation is also working towards increasing its assets under management from the current Shs5 trillion to Shs6.2 trillion.

NWSC’s assets have grown considerably from about Shs580 billion over the years, reflecting the expansion of its infrastructure and operations across the country.
Mugisha said the corporation is increasingly using its own engineers and technical experts to design and implement projects, reducing dependence on costly external consultants.

He said several major projects and digital platforms have been developed internally, helping NWSC save money while building the capacity of its workforce.

The Managing Director described NWSC as one of the country’s highly digitalised public institutions and said its investment in in-house expertise has strengthened its ability to respond quickly when technical challenges arise.

He cited the restoration of the corporation’s billing and electronic payment platforms as an example, noting that the systems were brought back within about a day because the teams responsible had a thorough understanding of how they operated.

NWSC has also reviewed its approach to managing operational risks.
Mugisha said the corporation realised that the money spent annually on conventional insurance was significantly higher than the average compensation received through claims.

He said NWSC had been paying about Shs2.5 billion every year in insurance premiums but received average claims of only about Shs400 million.

This prompted the corporation to shift towards a risk-retention model, including the establishment of its own risk management company and fund.

Greater Kampala’s Growing Challenge
Meanwhile, NWSC is under growing pressure to maintain reliable water and sanitation services as Greater Kampala’s population and physical boundaries continue to expand.

The utility is facing a number of challenges, including water shortages in some areas, inadequate sewerage infrastructure, theft of metallic installations and interruptions caused by ongoing road construction projects.

Although NWSC has made significant progress in extending water services, investment in sewerage infrastructure has not kept pace, creating sanitation challenges in several parts of the expanding metropolitan area.

NWSC Kampala General Manager Eng. Mahmood Lataaya said the rapid growth of Greater Kampala, both horizontally and vertically, is placing increasing pressure on the corporation’s existing infrastructure.

He noted that the city is spreading further into surrounding areas while more high-rise buildings are being developed, particularly within the central business district.

This, he said, has increased demand for water and forced the corporation to upgrade old and smaller pipelines to accommodate the growing population and new developments.
“The city is expanding in terms of its radius and is also growing upwards, especially in the central business district. This means we have to upgrade the smaller pipes that were installed previously,” Lataaya said.

He added that the expansion of sewerage services has been slower than the growth in water supply, making non-sewered sanitation systems increasingly important in meeting the needs of communities not connected to the conventional sewer network.

Some of the areas facing significant water stress include parts of western Kampala and surrounding communities such as Nansana, Kawempe, Buloba, Buddo, Matugga and Kakiri.

As part of the stakeholder engagement, journalists were taken on a tour of selected NWSC infrastructure projects across Greater Kampala before participating in a media roundtable on the impact of water and sanitation investments.

The discussions highlighted the importance of sustained investment in major water and sanitation projects as Uganda’s urban population grows and the demand for reliable, safe and affordable water continues to increase.