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5. Ongoing challenges to the implementation of the 2008 JSR undertakings have been identified:
a. finance: ongoing budgetary process challenges may hinder the full financing of the consolidated SIP;
b. Urban: provision of water and sanitation facilities in urban areas continues to suffer from lack of accountability,
governance and transparency in provider institutions;
c. Water stressed areas: NGOs caution that the approach adopted in the undertaking may prove too narrow to
accommodate the challenges created by climate change;
d. Water resources management: NGOs highlight the need to address IWRM issues at lower levels to allow a
better targeted response to water-related conflict.
e. Functionality of rural water sources: NGOs have taken innovative approaches to addressing the functionality
challenge, leading the way in water point mapping and creation of Management Information Systems.
f. Sanitation: NGOs have warned that the effectiveness of sanitation bylaws is hampered by lack of political will
and poor awareness of safe sanitation and hygiene practices.
6. 1. Several challenges to achievement of water and sanitation provision goals in Uganda have been identified:
a. Gender Mainstreaming: there is concern that the focus on women in WASH interventions can increase, rather
than ease, the burden already placed on their shoulders. While the majority presence of women in sensitisation
meetings and community health clubs is an indicator of women’s mobilisation and involvement in development
efforts, gender imbalances in WASH will not be addressed without complementary efforts to increase men’s
participation in these initiatives, and continued sensitisation of both men and women on all aspects of WASH.
b. Functionality of Water User Committees: the challenges of keeping WUCs adequately functional once they
have been formed and trained are substantial. NGOs acknowledge the need to create and support community
management structures which are relevant to community context. Emphasis should be placed on long-term
sustainability aspects, for example by way of refresher training, accompanied by continuous assessment of WUC
functionality in accordance with sector guidelines.
c. Coordination and cooperation at local levels: NGOs increasingly recognise the need to share information and
improve coordination in their various levels of operation, a) between NGOs and government actors at central and
local levels (e.g. District Water Offices); b) among NGOs – at central and local level, and between humanitarian and
development NGP interventions; and c) among UWASNET regions – in order to avoid duplication and increase
efficiency and effectiveness of interventions. NGOs are presented with various opportunities for coordination,
such as enhancing management information systems, water point mapping and engagement with budgeting and
planning processes in local and national levels.
d. Hygiene and Sanitation: much needs to be done to allow measures such as the inter-ministerial MoU on
sanitation and the new sanitation budget line to translate into real achievements in access to sanitation.
Collaboration with health and education authorities is needed for effective delivery of hygiene and sanitation
messages as well as the assessment of their impact.
e. Equity and inclusion: this issue remains generally neglected within the WASH sector. Efforts to address this by
NGOs will remain insufficient if no measures, in terms of policy, legislation, technology and resource allocation, are
taken at higher levels to support them, accompanied by appropriate ways to measure progress in the form of
indicators and targets. This must be rectified if WASH services are to reach those who are truly in need.
6.2. Proposed undertakings for the 2009 Joint Sector Review
a. Finance: Accountability and efficiency of water sector institutions is enhanced to effectively use available
resources and mobilise new resources to realise sector targets, as outlined in the Sector Investment Plan (SIP)
b. Urban: Appropriate pro-poor approaches for improving urban water and sanitation access are piloted; and
those approaches which have been piloted successfully (pre-paid meters; OBA) are scaled-up in a sustainable way
c. Water-stressed areas: A strategy for addressing water scarcity and water-stressed areas is formulated within
national climate change adaptation efforts, taking into consideration current and future water availability and
sustainability
d. Rural: Systems for Management Information and Monitoring & Evaluation are strengthened to address
functionality and its underlying causes
e. Sanitation: Adoption and implementation of sanitation bye-laws is achieved in all districts, accompanied by
commitment to enforcement of these bye-laws
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