As Greater Kampala continues to expand, the question of how the city will secure enough water for its growing population is becoming increasingly urgent. New homes, roads, industries and commercial centres are transforming the metropolitan landscape, but this growth also places pressure on wetlands, catchments and the infrastructure that supplies water to communities. For Makerere University, this challenge is not only a matter for public debate. It is also a question that research can help answer before today’s decisions become tomorrow’s problems.
That concern shaped a dissemination workshop held at the University on Wednesday, 28th October 2026. The gathering brought together researchers, policymakers, university leaders, planners, students, development partners and members of the media to consider findings from the Urban Expansion Model for Mitigating Water Scarcity in Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area, known as UREMWAS, an occasion that was graced by the Minister for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs, Hon. Hajjat Minsa Kabanda, who attended as chief guest.
At the heart of the research is a practical concern: how can a fast-growing metropolitan area accommodate more people and economic activity without undermining the natural systems and public infrastructure on which its residents depend? The UREMWAS project seeks to help answer that question by giving planners a way to examine how different patterns of urban development may affect water availability. Rather than treating water scarcity as an isolated problem of supply, the study relates it to the choices made about land, housing, drainage, settlement and infrastructure.
Understanding the Link Between Urban Growth and Water
Presenting the study, the Principal Investigator Dr. Nestor Mugabe explained that Greater Kampala is among Uganda’s fastest-growing urban regions. Its expansion has increased pressure on water sources and supply networks, while also changing the natural landscapes that help sustain those resources. As settlements spread, the consequences can extend beyond the immediate area where construction takes place. Wetlands may be encroached upon, catchments altered and the routes through which water moves across the landscape disrupted. “The value of this model is in helping planners see the consequences of today’s choices before those choices become difficult and costly to reverse.” He stated.
The model brings together information on population movement, built-up areas, drainage patterns, wetland cover and water demand. By considering these factors together, planners can explore possible urban growth scenarios and assess their likely implications before major decisions are made. The intention is to support better-informed choices on where development should take place, which natural areas require protection and where investment in water infrastructure may be most needed.
Dr. Mugabe cautioned that water scarcity rarely emerges from a single decision or event. Instead, it can develop gradually as many small choices accumulate without sufficient attention to their combined effect. The value of the model, he explained, lies in helping decision makers see a wider picture and understand how development in one part of the metropolitan area may affect water security elsewhere.
The findings point to a close relationship between the pattern of urban growth and the pressure placed on water systems. When settlements expand without effective planning, development can reach sensitive areas such as wetlands and catchments. These landscapes perform important functions in storing, filtering and releasing water. When they are degraded, the natural processes that support water availability are weakened. At the same time, extending piped water infrastructure to scattered communities can become more difficult and expensive.
By contrast, growth guided by clear plans, the protection of natural areas and timely infrastructure investment offers a stronger basis for managing demand. The research therefore presents urban planning and water security as closely connected responsibilities. Decisions about housing, roads and commercial development cannot be considered separately from the resources needed to sustain the people who live and work in those places.
Dr. Mugabe also emphasised that water scarcity cannot be solved by infrastructure alone. The challenge involves governance, public behaviour and coordination among institutions that may otherwise plan and operate independently. Engineers, physical planners, local leaders, communities and researchers need to work with shared evidence if their decisions are to reinforce rather than undermine one another.
That message was given a human dimension through the experiences of communities consulted during data collection. Dr. Mugabe acknowledged the residents who shared their perspectives with the research team, including people who travel long distances or pay high prices to obtain water. Their experiences, he noted, helped the researchers understand the everyday consequences of water insecurity in ways that statistics alone cannot fully convey. Behind every figure on demand or supply are households and individuals whose routines, finances and wellbeing are affected by access to water.
Taking the Findings Beyond the University
The discussion that followed the presentation reflected the broad reach of the issue. Participants considered the role of wetlands in protecting water sources, the need to enforce planning regulations and the importance of involving communities early in decisions that affect their surroundings. They also explored whether the model could be adapted for other fast-growing towns and cities in Uganda, where urbanisation may create similar pressures on land and water resources.
Several contributors stressed that research findings should be communicated in accessible language, particularly to local leaders and community groups. A model can help inform technical decisions, but its impact is likely to be greater when the people affected by planning choices can also understand the evidence and use it in their own discussions. Participants further encouraged the research team to keep the model updated as new information becomes available. Because cities change rapidly, a planning tool must be able to reflect changing populations, land use and demand if it is to remain useful.
The discussion was moderated by Prof. William Tayeebwa, who guided the discussion and encouraged participants to engage with the findings from their different areas of experience. The questions and reflections reinforced the importance of treating water security as a shared metropolitan concern rather than the responsibility of a single institution or profession.
Speaking on behalf of the Makerere University Research and Innovation Fund, its Engagement officer, Ms. Grace Cherotich Ruto congratulated the research team and reaffirmed the fund’s commitment to supporting research that responds to Uganda’s practical challenges. He encouraged researchers to consider the people who will use their findings from the earliest stages of a project and to plan how the knowledge generated will be communicated and applied. Research, he observed, is most valuable when it moves beyond academic shelves and contributes to policy, services and people’s lives. “Research has its greatest value when the knowledge generated at the university reaches the people and institutions that can use it to improve lives.” Prof. Julius Kikooma, Director, Directorate of Graduate Training stated.
The remarks also highlighted the role of graduate training in building research capacity. Prof. Julius Kikooma, Director of the Directorate of Graduate Training, welcomed participants and commended the team for bringing its work to a wider audience. He noted that universities demonstrate their value to society when knowledge developed through research and scholarship informs decisions beyond the campus. Graduate research, including the work of master’s and doctoral students, helps generate and develop ideas that can be tested against real conditions and contribute to practical solutions.
A Shared Responsibility for a Growing City
Representing the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Moses Musinguzi commended the researchers for addressing an issue of national importance. He reaffirmed the university’s commitment to serving the country through knowledge and collaboration, and called on government agencies, local authorities and development partners to draw on the expertise available at the institution. Water, land and urban growth are interconnected, he noted, and the management of rapidly expanding cities must be guided by sound evidence.
For the university, the workshop offered an opportunity to connect research with the institutions and communities that may put its findings to use. The model’s potential depends not only on its technical capacity, but also on whether planners and decision makers can incorporate its insights into the choices they make. Continued engagement between researchers and end users will therefore be important as the work develops.
In her address, Chief Guest Hon. Hajjat Minsa Kabanda thanked Makerere University for convening the workshop and recognised the contribution of its scholars to national development. She described the growth of Kampala and the surrounding metropolitan area as both an opportunity and a responsibility. As the country’s economic heart and home to millions of people, the city needs reliable services, including access to clean and safe water. The challenge is to ensure that expansion does not outpace the systems and natural resources required to sustain it.
“Kampala’s water challenges extend beyond administrative boundaries, so our response must be built on cooperation, shared evidence and responsible planning.” Hon. Hajjat Minsa Kabanda emphasized.
Hon. Kabanda said that the UREMWAS model could help government make better-informed decisions about the direction of urban growth, the protection of natural resources and the location of water infrastructure investment. She also pointed out that the metropolitan area extends beyond the administrative boundaries of Kampala itself. Water and land pressures do not stop at those boundaries, making coordination among the ministry, Kampala Capital City Authority, neighbouring local governments, water utilities and researchers essential.
The Minister assured the university that her ministry would study the findings and consider how they could inform its planning work. She encouraged the research team to maintain a close relationship with policymakers so that the model can remain relevant to decisions as the metropolitan area changes. She also called on citizens to protect wetlands, use water responsibly and observe planning guidelines, stressing that the future of the city will be shaped by the actions of both public institutions and residents.
Turning Research into Public Action
Her remarks underscored the role universities can play as partners in public decision making. By bringing together research expertise, emerging talent and the freedom to examine difficult questions, institutions of higher learning can help government understand complex challenges and consider options grounded in evidence. She congratulated Makerere on its research tradition and encouraged it to continue producing work that responds to the needs of the country.
The workshop closed with a shared recognition that disseminating the findings is a starting point rather than an end in itself. The research team and its partners expressed the need to continue engaging government and other stakeholders, share the results more widely with local leaders and communities, and refine the model as further data becomes available. These next steps will help determine how effectively the research can support planning in Greater Kampala and whether its approach can be useful in other urban areas.
The timing of the work is significant. Decisions made now about land use, housing, drainage and water infrastructure will influence the shape of Greater Kampala for years to come. Once wetlands have been damaged, settlements established in unsuitable locations or infrastructure built without adequate coordination, correcting the consequences can be difficult and costly. A model that allows decision makers to explore possible outcomes in advance offers an opportunity to identify risks earlier and weigh development choices more carefully.
For residents, the stakes are tangible. Reliable water affects household routines, public health, livelihoods and the ability of businesses and institutions to operate. Protecting the resources that sustain supply is therefore not separate from the wider ambition to build a productive and liveable city. The challenge is to ensure that urban growth improves people’s lives without weakening the environmental systems on which those lives depend.
By bringing researchers and decision makers into the same conversation, Makerere’s UREMWAS dissemination workshop demonstrated how university research can contribute to a shared understanding of a public problem. The work does not remove the difficult choices facing the metropolitan area, but it offers a way to examine those choices with a clearer view of their possible consequences. As Greater Kampala continues to grow, the task ahead will be to turn that evidence into coordinated planning, responsible development and sustained protection of water resources.
The gathering marked a step in moving the UREMWAS findings from a research project into wider public and policy discussion. The central message was clear: the future of Greater Kampala’s water security will depend not only on how much water can be supplied, but also on how the city grows, how its natural systems are protected and how well the institutions responsible for its future work together-MAK
