Sustaining good governance in water and sanitation in Uganda

This monograph analyses progress in attaining MDG 7 target 10 on halving by 2015 the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking.

Uganda is blessed with many rivers and lakes, and abundant groundwater. Yet this plentiful supply of water is not easily accessible to many Ugandan families in both urban and rural areas. Access to safe drinking water and sanitation are fundamental to the health, human survival and development of any society. However, these basic necessities are still a luxury for many Ugandans, with national access to rural water supply being registered at 63 per cent, overall coverage for urban areas being estimated at 61 per cent and national latrine coverage for the financial year 2007/8 being estimated at 62,4 per cent. Despite an increase in access to drinking water and latrine coverage, there are still extremely large variations from district to district. For example, latrine coverage in Rukungiri stands at 99 per cent, but the districts of Abim, Kotido and Kaabong lag behind with an extremely low coverage of just two per cent.

It is a conclusion of this monograph that good governance in the water and sanitation sectors, combined with citizen empowerment in the planning, budgeting and monitoring of water and sanitation service delivery, is essential not only for these services to reach the poor, but also for the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of halving the proportion of people without sustainable access to drinking water and basic sanitation.

Edited by: Rose Mwebaza