Cutting Costs & Delays: NWSC Pushes for Water Pipes in Road Designs

National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) is seeking change in practice in Uganda’s road construction to have relocation of water pipes to be part of designs of road works in order to reduce time and cost spent on relocation of water pipes during the construction of roads.

The proposal was made by Eng Silver Mugisha, Managing Director, National Water and Sewerage Corporation, while appearing before the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) on 22nd July 2026, during the consideration of the December 2025 Auditor General’s report.

“What these people do is they go and sign a contract, then they come to us, and then we also have now started designing the what? Relocation works, and that takes a bit of time. So, we are working with them and we have said let them put, incorporate design of pipe relocations into the consultancy work so that when they finish, it is already clear how much will it cost to relocate the what? Although the situation is not as bad as that because we work very closely with them, and I don’t think that has caused a lot of problems,” said Mugisha.

This followed concerns raised by MPs including Martin Muzaale (Buzaaya County) who sought clarification on why NWSC has occasioned delays in approving relocation of water pipes during road construction.

Muzaale said, “However, most of the projects in Kampala, the works projects that is to do with the roads, most of them have been delayed because of relocation of water pipes. And when you meet those technical officers who are managing those projects, the excuse they give is that water delays to relocate those pipes from areas where they are going to do their works.”

The same concern was raised by Kizza Hakim Ssawula (Bukoto South) raised concerns over the uncoordinated construction works within Government where newly constructed roads are dug up to pave way for the establishment of water pipes and at times the roads are left is worse state.

He noted, “Normally, you have a habit of digging the roads when installing your pipes, and when it comes to when you are done, you don’t put it the way you found it. It is made across the country. Why is it that national water? You do have that percentage of money, which is reserved for you to act on such issues. I don’t know the percentage.”

Several MPs also raised concerns over the limited access to NWSC services in their areas including Asinasi Nyakato (Hoima City Woman MP) who claimed that many of the MPs in the 11th Parliament lost in the general elections due to the failure to honour their promises to lobby for the extension of water in their constituencies.

She noted, “In the last Parliament, most of the members of Parliament lost elections because of lack of water connection in their constituencies. I happen to have been serving on the Committee of Natural Resources as the Shadow Minister, but also NWSC came up with a work plan which indicated that at least 90% of the local governments were going to get new connections. Most of these new connections did not take place, today, we are having them here. They have some audit queries and we expect the same to happen again in this other Parliament.”

The Managing Director of National Water informed the Committee that recently, the Corporation commissioned a project to augment water supply for Hoima City in preparation for AFCON but also acknowledged the challenge of boreholes in Hoima drying up but this will reduce with the completion of the AFCON project that is projected to bring on board 2million cubic litres of water daily.

He said, “And that’s why we want to augment it with the new treatment plant installed at River Kafu of the capacity of 2 million litres of water per day. So, if this water is put there and there is also the Hoima City phase which is coming, which will instal about 18 million litres of water per day. So, the constraint which is being presented by boreholes that dry during the dry season will no longer be a problem for Hoima City.”