By Chris Mugasha
KAMPALA: Ahead of AFCON 2027, Uganda’s government, through the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) has rolled out a Shs14.24 billion water expansion for Hoima City to ramp up supply before the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
The project comes at a time when preparations are in high gear as Hoima will host AFCON matches alongside Kampala and Lira when Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania jointly stage the tournament from June to July 2027. The Shs14.2billion project is co-funded by government and NWSC and is slated for completion in eight months.
The project is part of targeted infrastructure spending to prepare for the AFCON tournament and to sustain growth in the Albertine Region, Uganda’s emerging oil and gas hub, according to NWSC Managing Director Dr. Mugisha who unveiled the plan on Tuesday at the corporation’s Nakasero headquarters in Kampala.
The new system, called Hoima 2, will source raw water from the River Kafu in Kikuube District, process it at a new conventional treatment plant, and move it into Hoima via a bulk transfer network. Key components include a plant capable of producing 2,000 cubic meters of treated water per day, roughly 25 kilometers of transmission and distribution mains, and a 300-cubic-meter steel elevated tank at Musaijamukulu Hill, plus pumps, electrical works, and storage facilities.
Mugisha said Hoima 2 is designed to support the existing Hoima 1 network, which is now stretched by fast urban growth, population rise, and industrial demand tied to oil and gas activity.
“The current setup cannot fully meet Hoima City’s water needs and those of surrounding areas,” he said, describing Hoima 2 as a critical short- to medium-term fix for the supply shortfall.
He added that designs are nearing completion for Hoima 3, a longer-term system that would greatly increase production, transmission, and storage. Once built, Hoima 2 and Hoima 3 would merge into a single, more efficient and resilient network.
“NWSC is therefore asking government to release funding for Hoima 3 as soon as designs are done,” Dr. Mugisha said. “Investing in Hoima 3 on time will secure Hoima’s water supply for the long haul and back Uganda’s wider economic transformation.”
Construction is being handled by Zhonghao Overseas Construction Engineering Company Limited. Dr. Mugisha told the contractor to stick to schedule and budget, stressing that delays won’t be tolerated. “No delays will be accepted,” he warned.
Zhonghao was represented at the briefing by Managing Director Ma Yongqian and Deputy Managing Director Wang Feifei. The company pledged to deliver on time and within cost while upholding quality, and said it would prioritize local hiring to support Hoima communities.
Dr. Mugisha said the upgrade will make Hoima’s water supply more reliable and cleaner, ease shortages in parts of the city, support urban and industrial expansion, and boost the region’s preparedness for AFCON 2027.
NWSC’S bold vision for water for all by 2030
Currently, the Corporation provides water services in 287 cities, towns and municipalities and sewerage services in 18 Towns, serving approximately 20 million people.
THE NWSC FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN (2025 – 2030)
With the expansion of the Country’s Cities, Municipalities, and Towns, the Corporation has developed a Five-Year Strategic Plan (2025/26–2029/30) in compliance with Regulation 18 of the National Planning Authority (NPA) Development Plan Regulations (2018). The strategic plan is a roadmap crafted to advance the mission of delivering sustainable water and sewerage services to Ugandans.
The NWSC journey over the past few decades has been one of remarkable growth and resilience; from serving just three urban centers in 1972, NWSC now provides water to over 20 million people in 287 urban centers, with plans to reach 26 million people by 2030. The Strategic Plan (2025-2030) builds on this foundation, addressing critical challenges such as rapid urbanization, climate change impacts, and non-revenue water, while embracing opportunities to enhance service delivery and operational efficiency.
The NWSC Strategic Plan 2025–2030 is anchored on the NWSC Vision: “Water for All, for Health, and Prosperity”.
The corporation’s mission: “To provide reliable, safe, and sustainable water and sewerage services for all while empowering lives, protecting the environment, and building a healthier future generation”.
It builds on the achievements of the previous Strategic Plan and a comprehensive assessment of the emerging trends influencing service delivery.
The NWSC’s 2025–2030 Strategic Plan sets out a bold roadmap: one that balances infrastructure expansion, customer service, and environmental stewardship.The strategic plan recognizes the pressures of rapid urbanization, climate change, and financial sustainability, and positions NWSC as a key player in achieving Uganda’s Vision 2040, NRM Manifesto undertakings, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
At the core of the strategic plan are five clear objectives adapted from the NDPIV, that is:
- Water for all: Extending piped water by rehabilitating, upgrading, and developing water and sewerage infrastructure to enhance access, reliability, and quality of services.
- Environmental Protection: Compliance with national quality standards through the implementation of sustainable water supply and wastewater management practices.
- Operational Efficiency: Strengthening institutional capacity to consistently and efficiently deliver the NWSC mandate and respond to emergencies and disruptions.
- Customer Focus: Building customer satisfaction, stakeholder and community engagement through adaptive, responsive and quality service.
- Financial sustainability: Ensuringthe financial viability and sustainability of the Corporation through effective utilization of the financial resources to provide satisfactory and equitable water and sanitation services.
To measure achievement toward the above objectives, the Corporation has developed primary key targets as the core measures of overall success.
The figure below demonstrates some of the keytargets for the strategic plan period 2025 – 2030
| Key performance indicator | Strategic plan target 2030 |
| Customer Connections | Increase the number of customer connections from 1,000,000 to 1,300,000 |
| Population Served | Extend services to reach 26,000,000 people, up from 20,000,000 |
| Annual turnover | Increase the corporation’s annual turnover from Ugx 649 Billion to Ugx 768 Billion |
| Asset Base | Grow the NWSC asset base from Ugx 4.8 Trillion to UGx 6.8 Trillion |
NWSC’s 2030 performance targets demonstrate a bold commitment to transforming access to water and sewerage services across Uganda. Serving a population of 26 million, the corporation aims to expand its water connections to 1.3 million households, ensuring more communities enjoy reliable and safe water. With an ambitious annual turnover target of UGX 768 billion, NWSC is focused on financial sustainability to support ongoing infrastructure investments and operational excellence.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE LAST FIVE YEARS (2021 – 2025)
Over the period 2021-2025, NWSC recorded substantial improvement in service delivery, marked by the expansion of water and sewerage infrastructure, increased service coverage and customer base, as well as notable financial growth.
Below are highlights of key achievements
NWSC Performance in selected KPIs for the FY 2019/20 – 2024/25
| Parameter | FY 2019/20 | FY 2020/21 | FY 2021/22 | FY 2022/23 | FY 2023/24 | FY 2024/25 | |
| Towns served (No.) | 258 | 258 | 263 | 273 | 276 | 287 | |
| Villages Served (No.) | 7,192 | 8,811 | 10,425 | 10,476 | 10,867 | 11,088 | |
| Total Water Network (Km) | 19,974 | 20,495 | 21,794 | 22,591 | 23,289 | 23,784 | |
| Water Connections (No.) | 724,006 | 775,794 | 840,508 | 893,600 | 943,984 | 1,019,512 | |
| Total Sewer Network (Km) | 693 | 716 | 752 | 769 | 773 | 775.04 | |
| Sewer Connections (No.) | 23,914 | 25,180 | 28,007 | 28,703 | 29,577 | 30,539 | |
| Industrial Parks serviced (No.) | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 12 | |
End.
