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NWSC: Corporation hits 105% collection efficiency as five year strategy gets into top gear
Silver Mugisha (PhD), the managing director of the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), is a soft-spoken and urbane man who doesn’t like to talk too much about himself. He would however spend a day talking about his pet subject – service delivery.
Having been at NWSC for the past 22 years and gone through the ranks until his appointment to the top job two years ago, Mugisha understands the organisation in and out. While updating stakeholders about the corporation’s 2015/2016 performance on Aug.15, Mugisha left no doubt in the minds of his listeners that the organisation is on the right track going forward.
Organised under the theme, ‘Accelerating Water and Sanitation Service Delivery,’ the meeting was part of the Corporation`s implementation of its five-year strategic plan for the period 2013-2018. The five-year strategic direction plan is harmonized with the corporate plan and takes into account the all-embracing government policy directions and wider stakeholder expectations.
First among the performance highlights for the year ended June, 2016, the corporation hit the 105% collection efficiency mark. Water coverage reaches 171 towns and urban centres while service coverage stands at stands at 76% or 470,000 customers.
The corporation added more than 34,000 new connections during the 12-month period while annual water sales grew by 37%. Total revenue collections shot up to Shs 284 bn compared to Shs 237bn in 2014/2015 while monthly turnover has grown from Shs 1.75 bn in 1998 to Shs 25.8bn currently.
Mugisha said they had grown the water network extensions to 888.6 km of water mains in the last 12 months, which resulted into water sales increasing by 11.3% from 66.4 million cubic meters sold in the financial year 2014/2015 to 73.9 million cubic meters sold in 2015/2016.
The increased water sales saw a growth in annual billings raise from Shs 225.9 billion in financial year 2014/15 to Shs 292.3 billion in 2015/16. Also, as an indication that action is being taken on water theft and leakage, the corporation recorded a reduction in Non-Revenue Water (NRW) by 10% to reach 28% down from an average of 34%. NRW is water that is produced but lost before it reaches the customers’ meter for billing. The reduction in NRW is mainly attributed to the Water Loss Prevention Program that was launched in conjunction with Uganda Police to arrest and shame water thieves.
NWSC and is wholly owned by the government and derives its mandate from the Water Act, Cap 152 and the NWSC Act, 2000. Over the last two years, the corporation has taken over water supply in more than 100 towns across the country. The 5-year strategic direction is aimed at gearing the corporation for transformational changes in its operational and geographical mandate. It is premised on business perspectives namely; process and growth perspective, customer perspective, financial perspective, and learning and people perspective.
Key among the strategic focus areas will be increased coverage and supply reliability, improved asset management aimed at tackling the current water losses, improved customer interface and delight coupled with enhanced collaboration with stakeholders, increased revenue growth and mobilization of resources for investment, improved staff capacity development and welfare, and enhanced research and innovation.
Mugisha says that in implementing the 5-year strategy, the corporation envisages to enhance collaboration with various stakeholders in order to ensure harmony and effectiveness in the implementation of its activities. Furthermore, he says, NWSC would monitor the implementation of the strategy through a corporate scorecard system coupled with an annual evaluation system. Going forward, the corporation also hopes to implement the construction of a modern complex for their headquarters by 2018.
Mugisha, was appointed to head the corporation on the explicit instructions of President Yoweri Museveni and the organisation appears to be on track under his sturdy and balanced leadership philosophy.
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editor@independent.co.ug
