I reside in Naalya, and one of the things synonymous with this area is the intermittent supply of water.
For a newcomer in Naalya, they would be mistaken to think that the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) rations water. I used to think otherwise, and have always held NWSC among the most efficient public utility firms in Africa.
However, last week’s incident invited me to a rethink of NWSC’s services. Why would water supply to Naalya be intermittent? Considering that this area is connected to the Katosi line with a capacity of 160 million litres per day.
With this Katosi project, among the other deliverables were the reservoir at Ssonde Hill and a Booster station at Namugongo. Why is it that this project has not resulted in a regular water supply in Naalya?
It cannot be an issue of storage, nor can it be an issue of pressure. Is it time to ask if the Katosi water treatment plant (Katosi WTP) is running at full capacity? What is the plant efficiency of the Katosi WTP?
In 2024, the NWSC Water Herald noted that despite Katosi’s 160 million litre capacity, only 55 per cent of this was being utilized owing to distribution challenges. On this, I agree that distribution will always be the constraint in every production/manufacturing/transport chain.
For example, in the electricity sector, distribution is also a constraint. Just as with manufacturing, the last mile becomes the constraint. But this issue of distribution doesn’t explain Naalya’s intermittent supply.
It’s close to both the booster pump station and the reservoir at Ssonde. Why would it be such a magical affair to have a continuous distribution of water to Naalya? On October 16, 2025, the first message came in from NWSC social media platforms indicating that there were emergency works at the Katosi WTP.
Despite this, no official statement has been released by NWSC. Doesn’t the public have a right to know what kind of emergency was being handled? Why has it taken this long? Is the rectification permanent or a short-term measure to enable supply in the interim?
Why would a plant that was commissioned recently not guarantee a stable supply to areas that were already connected? NWSC is telling its clients an incomplete story. As a NWSC client, shouldn’t one expect better?
An interactive dashboard where I get to see the quality results of my area. Currently, NWSC shares monthly quality reports of random sampling points. The points sampled in one month are never the same as those sampled in the subsequent.
Comparative results over time thus become a hurdle. This year, NWSC announced that non-revenue-water had cost them Shs 54.9 billion. Again, who bears this cost? Does this also imply that those already billed are bearing some of the cost of unbilled water?
Perhaps one of these days, NWSC needs to reach out to its customers and give them a full story. Why is it rocket science to get water to a home in Naalya in 2025?
Why have many apartment owners been forced to drill their own water since they can’t keep paying for water bowsers in times of water scarcity? And perhaps, one of these days, one ought to rethink NWSC’s success story. The water story doesn’t pour out the way it’s being supplied.
The author is a concerned citizen
You have chosen to write an overly long and meandering article on this issue instead of a short and concise one!
If you truly needed an answer (or answers) to your numerous and often similar questions or truly wanted to draw full attention to the issue; why didn’t you call National Water directly? I am sure someone there would be happy to explain the issue(s) to you.
What if they miss this article (and there is a likelihood of this happening), how will you have helped?
1st and foremost I would like to respect you,for your concern like u humbly said “a concerned citizen ” and to speak out maybe on behalf of the many, however to also remind you that there have been other many issues that occurred but responded too considerably not brought to the media.
Thanks to the NWSC.M.Director; DR.Silver Mugisha and the entire team for the good job being done . So now, its my concern as well to let you know that there’s no way you can find for a solution with no problem identified.
NB: For your information, NWSC has fully and successfully restored its supply amongst all the places that had earlier been affected, and still as a concerned citizen, we would want to ensure everyone that we’re truly grateful with the services rendered onto us.. For God and my country 🙏
Andrew mubangizi … making politically correct statements will not boost the water supply to nalya..do some fact finding instead and we push for corrective actions.
me personally I can confirm that the moral of these people has detoriated and they need some retooling or also boosting before they can boost the water to concerned citizens
For us in areas of Kawempe. Intermittent water supply has been the norm for more than 4 months. You wake up, brush teeth when water is on, by the time you jump into the shower, water is off
NWSC will soon be like now Uganda posts and telecommunication , UEB and basically all pallacitatal bodies are failing because of poor and untechnical administrations leave for the many other reasons.
Thanks for the concern.
But Ian Ortega, the last time I met you at Makerere University you told me that come Jan 2026 General Election; you would be on the Ballot Paper, among the Presidential Candidates. Unfortunately I haven’t seen you yet on the Campaign Trail.
In this country everything is frustrating simply because, nothing good happens under a regime of criminals, by criminals and for criminals. Hence the campaign slogan “protecting the gains”: The Gains from coming to and holding unto power through crime (Treason) violence; corruption; election rigging; removing the Term and Age Limits; abduction, torture, organized extrajudicial murder and/or disappearances; nepotism; etc.
Otherwise, protecting the gains from who?
In other words, who in his/her right state of mind can still deny that everything in this country is sub-standard. There is absolutely no sense of commitment to some degree of quality assurance and/or excellence.
Uganda has the largest number of “Fresh Water Lakes” on the continent. But our people are still languishing in thirst, filth and ravaged by water-born diseases.
And the regime that has been in power for 40 years and counting; that should have made sure there is clean water for every citizen, has captured all the lakes and parcelled out Plots of the Lake Shores to either foreign investors or regime supporters and sycophants (protecting the illicit gains).
It is bewildering!