Otafiire cuts water prices
Aug 25, 2005
THE Government has reduced water tariffs countrywide, the minister, Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire, has said.
By Apollo Mubiru
THE Government has reduced water tariffs countrywide, the minister, Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire, has said.
Otafiire said under the new tariffs a jerrican of water in urban areas would cost sh17, sh10 in rural areas and sh5 in the very rural and poor areas.
He was appearing yesterday before the parliamentary committee on natural resources chaired by Lule Mawiya (Kalungu) to present his ministry’s budget estimates for this financial year.
Otafiire said he had directed the National Water and Sewerage Corporation management not to charge people beyond the fixed rates.
“We have not had a harmonised water tariff in the past. some were charging between sh30 and sh70 a jerrican, which the Government thought was very unfair. We are trying to balance the supply and as well as the affordability of water,†Otafiire said.
Flanked by lands state minister Baguma Isoke, the permanent secretary, B. K Kabanda and his technical team, Otafiire said as his ministry targeted expanding supply of water, affordability was their main ambition. He said his ministry intended to introduce a policy to cater for the ever-growing need for water for productive purposes.
Otafiire said the new project code named ‘Bulk water supply’ would make available quality water all year round.
He said this would be in response to the uneven distribution of available surface water resources as well as seasonal and climatic changes and variations, which had retarded development.
Otafiire said four pilot areas, Bukanga/ Nyabushozi, Kakuuto/ Kooki/Kabula, Nakason-gola and Nakapiripirit, with acute water shortage, were selected for feasibility studies.
THE Government has reduced water tariffs countrywide, the minister, Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire, has said.
Otafiire said under the new tariffs a jerrican of water in urban areas would cost sh17, sh10 in rural areas and sh5 in the very rural and poor areas.
He was appearing yesterday before the parliamentary committee on natural resources chaired by Lule Mawiya (Kalungu) to present his ministry’s budget estimates for this financial year.
Otafiire said he had directed the National Water and Sewerage Corporation management not to charge people beyond the fixed rates.
“We have not had a harmonised water tariff in the past. some were charging between sh30 and sh70 a jerrican, which the Government thought was very unfair. We are trying to balance the supply and as well as the affordability of water,†Otafiire said.
Flanked by lands state minister Baguma Isoke, the permanent secretary, B. K Kabanda and his technical team, Otafiire said as his ministry targeted expanding supply of water, affordability was their main ambition. He said his ministry intended to introduce a policy to cater for the ever-growing need for water for productive purposes.
Otafiire said the new project code named ‘Bulk water supply’ would make available quality water all year round.
He said this would be in response to the uneven distribution of available surface water resources as well as seasonal and climatic changes and variations, which had retarded development.
Otafiire said four pilot areas, Bukanga/ Nyabushozi, Kakuuto/ Kooki/Kabula, Nakason-gola and Nakapiripirit, with acute water shortage, were selected for feasibility studies.