In an effort to upgrade Kampala’s water and sanitation infrastructure, the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) gave the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) nine sanitation facilities on Friday, April 12, 2024.
The Kampala Water Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation Project Package 5B includes the facilities at Police Primary School-Kibuli, St. Paul Primary School, Nsambya P/S, Kasanga Primary School, Mbuya PS, Muntundwe, Lubiri Primary School, Mutundwe P/S, Kiswa Market, and Centenary Park.
Dr. Silver Mugisha noted that the project aims to provide safe water to 400,000 households and sanitary facilities to 250,000 people, including 10,000 children in KCCA-run schools, before turning over the facilities to the organization’s leadership.
at accordance with this agreement, the MD described the project’s construction of 64 sanitation facilities at 25 government-aided schools, nine marketplaces, and 30 public areas, such as city square, centenary park, police stations, and prisons.
According to Dr. Mugisha, the Public Sanitation Facilities built as part of the project are public assets that have been commissioned and given to KCCA for management and operation.
Dr. Eng. Mugisha expressed appreciation for the unwavering support received from the governments of Uganda, Germany, and France, especially the KfW and Agence Francaise de Development (AFD).
He went over each of the project’s components, emphasizing the building of a sewage plant in Nalukolongo (Component A) and the activities related to water and sanitation (Component B).
Dr. Mugisha projected that the project would be completed by October with a total investment of 29 million euros and 58% completion progress. Upon completion, the project is expected to yield significant benefits, particularly for informal settlements.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between KCCA and NWSC dated January 4, 2022, outlines the process by which KCCA will receive the sanitary facilities built as part of the Package 5B project after it is finished.
In particular, the MoU specifies that, as of the date of each facility’s handover, KCCA will assume complete control of the public sanitation facilities.
The KCCA Executive Director, Ms. Dorothy Kisaka, praised NWSC’s initiatives and emphasized the need of sanitation in important areas such as marketplaces, hospitals, schools, and other public areas.
Kisaka praised NWSC for being in line with the urban development and infrastructure improvement goals of KCCA.
The facilities, according to her, will support KCCA’s Smart City project.
According to our vision, we are creating a thriving, alluring, and sustainable metropolis. Schools, hospitals, and markets are the three main places where people congregate and require concentrated cleanliness, according to Ms. Kisaka.
She asked the populace to assume responsibility for the upkeep of the recently built infrastructure.
“There should be a mechanism in place to ensure that these facilities continue to look good, if not better, for the next five years and beyond. These restrooms need to be well-maintained and cared for,” she stated.
Other characteristics of the restrooms designed by NWSC include areas specifically designated for changing infants and others with impairments.
AFD’s Mr. Olivier Pannetier and KFW-Kampala Director Mr. Jan Alber emphasized the need of maintenance in order to guarantee the facilities’ continued use for the benefit of the community.
The Nakawa East Member of Parliament, Ronald Balimwezo, highlighted the detrimental effects of illnesses linked to poor sanitation on student attendance and academic performance, raising the urgent need for improved sanitation facilities in educational institutions.
According to Paul Mugambe, Mayor of Nakawa Division, the facilities would contribute to community members’ better health.
At Mbuya Primary School and Kiswa Market, the teams ceremoniously planted trees as a sign of their unwavering dedication to environmental preservation.
In addition, NWSC and KCCA inked a protocol for commissioning and handing over the finished sanitary facilities, reaffirming their joint efforts to promote sustainable development.
The project intends to build sanitary facilities, install water taps in public areas and informal settlements, and connect inhabitants to the sewage network under the Kampala Water L. Victoria Water and sanitary package 5B.
This project, which promises higher living standards and coordinated measures to avoid sickness, heralds a transformative moment for Kampala.
