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Governance in the Water Sector through Social Accountability, Communications, and Transparency in Wobulenzi,
Uganda”, in partnership with MWE, Local Government and town council, local citizens and World Bank Institute,
aiming to promote improved governance in the water sector in Uganda by fostering transparency, social
accountability and efficient communication activities among stakeholders. Although the programme is yet to be
thoroughly evaluated before scaling-up can be initiated, some preliminary findings show that it has:
- Improved citizens’ awareness of their rights as water users in the town of Wobulenzi;
- Improved awareness of water users on issues of access to clean and safe water, cost by different service
providers, availability, distance to sources, bills, problems in accessing water such as long lines, conflicts and
harassment, unclear procedures etc;
- Improved citizens’ voice to provide feedback to service providers to improve water service provision and
monitor their performance, and shown that the CRC can be used to establish a baseline against which
changes in performance can be measure.
- Improved awareness of water providers in terms of their roles and obligations to the water users and
helped providers take on their responsibility more actively, for which they were grateful; and
- Demonstrated that the use of these processes led to sizeable investments (Bukalasa more than UGX 5M
(USD 2500) and in Wobulenzi as well) by the service providers.
The case study below highlights some of the issues faced by the urban poor.
5.2.i CASE STUDY: Youth Development Organisation (YODEO) – Quality of Urban water provision
A study into water provision in Arua was commissioned by SNV, Arua Municipal Council, District Water Office Arua,
NWSC and DED (The German Development Service Corporation) and implemented by YODEO.
Residents of Arua town rely on National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) for safe drinking water. Other
available sources (the River Enyau, springs, streams and boreholes) have proven to be of poor quality and are
considered unsafe for human consumption. The urban middle class utilise NWSC private connections, while the
urban poor are served by Public Stand Pipes (PSPs). These PSPs are supplied by NWSC and operated by small
private operators. However, reports from a rapid assessment carried out by the MAYANK Anti Corruption Coalition
(MACCO) in Arua indicates that a large number of the standpipes are not able to supply water regularly due to
limited pressure in the piped system. This mainly affects the River Oli Division (where most of the low-income
population resides) for topological reasons. In some areas water is only available during the nights (from 3am to
5am), with implications for the safety of woman and children. NWSC recommends the usage of storage facilities to
ensure access to safe water supply. However, private operators do not have the capacity to invest in such facilities.
There were also operational and maintenance issues presented in the form of broken pipes and leaking metres; a
few operators took the initiative to fix some of these issues. Several of the operators confirmed that they reported
problems to the field staff of NWSC but no follow-up has been taken for action. For all the above reasons, the
urban poor have been forced to turn to other (unprotected) sources, exposing them to water-related infections.
YODEO found that whereas official requirements call for user involvement in facility construction and
management, facilities were implemented without consideration of consumer views. There is little to no
community involvement in price setting and location, or monitoring PSPs and Kiosks. There is also lack of
consumer awareness of the difference between paying for water and paying for services. Further, there is variation
in the charges of water per 20/lt jerrycan; generally Oli inhabitants pay more per jerrycan than other inhabitants,
exacerbating water stress and poverty problems in this most poor of areas. All the above issue point to severe gaps
in communication, information, regulation and governance; unless these are rectified, the mere construction of
more water facilities will not result in improved access to safe water, in particular for the urban poor.
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