The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kabarole, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Residents of Kichwamba sub county in Kabarole district are protesting the exorbitant water tariffs.
The residents say they are being made to pay 5,310 shillings per month for water that is not metered.
Adolf Kalyegira, a residens says that in 2014, Health through Water and Sanitation – HEWASA, a non governmental organization under Fort Portal Catholic Diocese constructed a water supply system in their sub county.
He says that HEWASA’s goal was to ensure residents in the area access clean water at 1,500 shillings per month as maintenance fee.
Kalyegira adds that to their surprise, in 2018, HEWASA handed over the project to Mid-Western Umbrella of Water and Sanitation Authority, a public water utility company operating and managing various piped water supply systems in Mid-Western region.
The authority which is under Urban Water Department in the Ministry of Water and Environment was a plan for ensuring that water schemes constructed by the ministry and partner organizations are sustainably managed.
But Kalyegira says that since management of the project changed, residents in the area are struggling to access to clean water.
He also says that the water is at times dirty and not fit for human consumption.
Mentodia Kigayaza, another resident says that the situation is exacerbated by the inadequate water supply that worsens during the dry season.
Kigayaza adds that on several occasions, his family has been forced to consume contaminated water from open shallow wells after his tap being disconnected due to failure to pay the monthly tariffs.
Moses Kabagaba another resident wonders why water should be so expensive yet it is pumped from their area. He adds that as residents, they will not pay for water again until they get meters that will tell exactly how much water they consume and how much to pay.
The chairperson of Kabarole District Works Committee Timothy Ruhweza says Mid-Western Umbrella of Water and Sanitation Authority erred when they increased the fee of 3,000 shillings they had agreed on with the residents to the current 5,310 shillings.
He argues that the residents should have been consulted before increasing the tariffs to ensure harmony.
Stella Kwebiha, from the Mid-Western Umbrella of Water and Sanitation Authority explains that Kichwamba residents rejected the meters that forced them to opt for a flat fee system of billing.
However she adds that they are going to sensitize the residents so that they can accept to be metered.
“When we give them the meters, the tariffs will go down because currently, there is a lot of water wastage which is forcing us to charge them a higher fee,” Kwebiha says.
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