The management of National water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) thanks its esteemed customers allover Uganda and wishes to responded to critical customer complaints raised over intermittent water supply in parts of Greater Kampala, stating that the shortages stem from distribution constraints rather than a lack of treated water, and pointing to an infrastructure programme it says is already under construction.
In an opinion article published in some media channels on July 1, 2026, NWSC Managing Director Dr. Eng. Silver Mugisha attributed the disruptions to two decades of rapid urban growth that has outpaced the capacity of the existing distribution network. He outlined the corporation’s response: the Kampala Water Lake Victoria Sanitation Project – Package 2B, comprising approximately 71 kilometres of transmission and distribution pipelines, three new service reservoirs, and three new booster pumping stations across the metropolitan area.
According to Dr. Mugisha, the Katosi Water Treatment Plant — commissioned in December 2022 with a capacity of 160 million litres per day — is currently underutilised relative to its distribution potential.
Package 2B Progress
NWSC says work on Package 2B is progressing on schedule. Foundation works at the Kungu and Kabulengwa booster stations have been completed, and excavation for a 10-million-litre reservoir at Kanyanya has been finished. Pipe-laying is under way along the Mpererwe–Kawempe–Nansana corridor. A low-level bulk transmission line serving the Kiira–Kasangati corridor is scheduled for completion by December 2026, ahead of the project’s overall completion date of July 2027.
On completion, NWSC says the project will extend supply to Kira, Kasangati, Kanyanya, Gayaza Road, Kitezi, Kawanda, Matugga, Kawempe, Nansana and Wakiso — an estimated one million additional people — bringing the population served by the Katosi system to approximately six million.
Financing
The project is financed primarily through the French Development Agency (AFD), with co-financing from KfW and the European Investment Bank. French Ambassador to Uganda Virginie Leroy toured the site in February 2026 and described the investment, which she put at roughly €480 million to date, as central to ensuring that Katosi’s production capacity reaches consumers. Following the completion of initial works, AFD’s board approved additional financing in December 2025 to raise Katosi’s capacity by a further 80,000 cubic metres per day and extend the network by 50 kilometres.
The programme includes a pro-poor component, co-funded with KfW, that has delivered 1,400 prepaid public standpipes and 64 sanitation facilities to informal settlements, reaching an estimated 450,000 residents.
Beyond Package 2B, NWSC describes a rebalancing of supply between its two main production systems. Areas currently served by the Ggaba Water Production System — including Lubowa, Buziga, Munyonyo, Mutundwe, Kyengera and Bulaba — are to be progressively shifted onto the Katosi system, a move NWSC says will free up capacity at Ggaba for areas that continue to depend on it.
NWSC’s response draws on a broader record of expansion under Mugisha, who has led the corporation since 2013. Over that period, its service area has grown from 23 to 287 towns, its asset base from approximately Shs650 billion to Shs5 trillion, and its customer connections from under a quarter of a million to more than one million, now serving an estimated 22 million people, up from 15 million five years ago. Customer satisfaction has held at around 80 percent, according to figures the corporation presented at its April 2026 stakeholders’ workshop.
NWSC has received sector recognition during this period, including the Global Distinction Water Leaders Award and, for Mugisha individually, the African Leadership Business Award. Mugisha also serves as president of the African Water and Sanitation Association, and in 2024 signed an agreement to host the African Water and Sanitation Academy’s coordination hub at NWSC’s International Resource Centre in Kampala.
NWSC says further investment is planned beyond Package 2B, including expanding Katosi’s capacity from 160 million to 240 million litres per day, developing a new distribution subsystem from Ggaba to serve the Lubowa–Kigo corridor, and extending infrastructure into Mukono and Wakiso districts.
These plans form part of a Shs8.2 trillion strategic plan for 2025–2030, unveiled in April 2026, which targets an increase in population served from 20 million to 26 million, 60,000 new connections annually, and growth in total customer connections from one million to 1.3 million. Separately, NWSC has proposed a $200 million project, also backed by France, to upgrade infrastructure in 35 additional towns across central, western, eastern and northern Uganda, many of which rely on systems built more than 50 years ago.
“We are working on various innovations to reduce project costs, with an aim of serving more people with clean, safe water, with value for money at the heart of project implementation,” Mugisha said of the wider programme.
NWSC’s position is that current supply gaps in parts of Kampala reflect a distribution network still catching up with production capacity and population growth, rather than a structural shortfall. The Kiira–Kasangati line is due for completion by December 2026, with the remainder of Package 2B scheduled for July 2027 — timelines the corporation and its financing partners will be measured against in the months ahead.
Contact the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) in Uganda 24/7 using their toll-free lines at 0800 200 977 or 0800 300 977. For general inquiries or to mail the head office, use info@nwsc.co.ug. [1]
