The National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) has set a 60-day countdown to address persistent water supply interruptions in Kampala, as it rolls out an ambitious six-month transformation plan aimed at improving water distribution reliability across the capital and neighboring districts of Wakiso and Mukono.
The intervention, dubbed the Six-Months Water Supply Reliability Transformation Plan, will run from November 2026 to April 2027, with the first 60 days targeting urgent distribution bottlenecks and other quick-win interventions expected to deliver immediate improvements to customers experiencing prolonged water shortages.
Speaking during a media engagement at the International Resource Centre (IREC) in Bugolobi on Thursday, Kampala Water General Manager Eng. Mahmood Lutaaya said the corporation had sufficient water production capacity to meet Kampala’s demand but acknowledged that distribution challenges continue to deny some customers reliable access to the resource.
“We have enough water available to meet the demand for the city from our two major plants in Katosi and Ggaba. But despite that, we still have some of our customers experiencing supply challenges, with some receiving water for less than six hours,” Lutaaya said.
He explained that while NWSC has undertaken several infrastructure projects to improve water supply, persistent interruptions in some parts of the city have demonstrated the need for additional and more targeted interventions.
This has informed the introduction of the K-Flow Project, which will complement the ongoing Package 2B infrastructure interventions to address persistent water supply intermittence across Kampala and surrounding areas.
Lutaaya said the six-month programme represents a deliberate commitment by the corporation to resolve distribution challenges and improve the customer experience.
“We are being very intentional, and we are committing to make sure that all water supply challenges and interruptions in the city are resolved,” he said.
60-day countdown for quick wins
At the centre of the transformation plan is a prioritised implementation strategy that will see NWSC tackle the most urgent water distribution challenges within the first 60 days.
Lutaaya said the corporation had identified interventions based on their urgency, expected impact and ability to improve water supply in affected communities.
Other measures will be implemented progressively throughout the six-month programme, while strategic infrastructure interventions requiring longer implementation periods may extend beyond April 2027.
The approach is intended to ensure that customers begin experiencing improvements while broader infrastructure and network optimisation works continue.
Mapping the water supply problem
According to Lutaaya, NWSC has assessed the existing water distribution situation across the city to identify areas experiencing supply challenges and establish appropriate solutions for each location.
The assessment indicates that close to 80 per cent of the mapped supply areas receive up to 24 hours of water supply, while other areas experience varying levels of intermittence, including customers receiving between 12 and 18 hours and some getting water for less than six hours.
The corporation has mapped the affected locations and developed specific interventions based on the nature of the challenges in each area.
He explained that the solutions would focus on two major areas: increasing water volumes in underserved locations and optimising the existing distribution network.
The first approach will involve improving water availability in areas experiencing shortages, including transferring water from locations with adequate supply to those facing scarcity.
The second will focus on network restructuring and rezoning to improve distribution efficiency and ensure that available water reaches customers more reliably.
NWSC promises tougher accountability
Beyond infrastructure improvements, the corporation has pledged to strengthen operational accountability and adopt a proactive approach to identifying and resolving water supply interruptions.
Lutaaya said NWSC would not tolerate avoidable interruptions, particularly those resulting from challenges within the corporation’s control.
He added that operational teams would be held fully accountable for ensuring that disruptions are addressed effectively.
“We are going to promote proactiveness rather than reactiveness. We want to make sure that we are able to identify problems before customers actually complain to us,” he said.
The corporation also intends to strengthen personal accountability among its teams, ensuring that every identified distribution challenge receives the necessary attention and follow-up.
The six-month transformation plan is expected to complement NWSC’s ongoing infrastructure investments, with the overall objective of reducing water supply intermittence and improving service delivery across Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono.
For households and businesses that have endured prolonged periods without running water, the immediate test will be whether the first 60 days deliver tangible improvements, as NWSC works towards its April 2027 deadline for a more reliable water supply system. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
