MPs stealing water

Aug 08, 2009

At least seven Members of Parliament are among 5,000 Kampala residents who have been implicated in stealing piped water by bypassing or manipulating meters.

By Charles Wendo

At least seven Members of Parliament are among 5,000 Kampala residents who have been implicated in stealing piped water by bypassing or manipulating meters.

According to figures obtained from the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), one fifth of the piped water in and around Kampala goes unpaid because of bypassing or doctoring meters.

The head of the Revenue Protection Unit at NWSC, Yann Jondeau, said this hurts honest water users because it leads to higher water tariffs, lower pressure and contamination, as dirt enters through illegal connection points. Consequently, the unit has launched a daily operation to crackdown on illegal water use and raise public awareness.

Records at NWSC indicate that the people who have been caught stealing water are supposed to pay fines amounting to sh5b.

Sixty percent of this has been paid as NWSC uses debt collectors to recover the rest. Last year alone, the unit collected sh800m in fines. “We can’t go the punitive way all the time. We have to educate consumers,” Jondeau said.

He explained that many people are involved in stealing water because they do not realise how inexpensive it is. “Water is cheap, yet if you are found stealing it you pay a lot of money. To fill 50 jerrycans (20 litres each), amounts to one cubic metre, which costs sh1,500.”

Surprisingly Government departments are among leading culprits. Government establishments in Kampala owe NWSC SH80.7m in fines. Most of these are in police and army establishments.

Schools are also a major category that engages in illegal water use. Various schools were caught and were supposed to pay fines amounting to sh34.4m. NGOs pay fines amounting to sh3.1m, while places with high rates of illegal water use are construction sites, washing bays and schools.

Seven members of parliament were fined sh2.3m. The corporation declined to disclose their names.

Jondeau said politicians steal water with impunity and arrogance. In once instance, the NWSC team was held at gun point. In some places they have been beaten, insulted or had dogs unleashed on them. “When it involves soldiers, we use the military police.”

Monthly, the unit catches an average of 80 individuals and organisations engaged in illegal water use. “We rely on informants, then do our own investigation. By the time we dispatch a team, they have specific instructions on confirmed cases,” said David Mushanga, the NWSC senior legal officer.

Mushanga said most of the illegal water use is fuelled by freelance plumbers. Some new house owners have been caught unaware after contractors did the bypass during construction. In other cases, the modification was done by tenants or previous house owners. “Some people do not know they are stealing water,” he said, adding that under section 95 (1) of the Water Act, the landlord and not the tenant is held responsible for an illegal connection.

Fines vary according to the nature of offence, but the average is sh1m. For illegal connection and reconnection and meter bypass, the fine is sh472,000 plus the cost of estimated water use for two years. For tampering with the meter, fine is sh50,000 plus the price of a new one. The biggest fine so far is a construction company that paid sh60m.

Mushanga called upon citizens to report people using water illegally, by calling toll-free line 0800100977. Whistle blowers get rewards ranging from sh25,000 to sh100,000.

However, those who voluntarily report to NWSC will not be fined. Mushanga called on individuals who are doubtful about heir connections and meter status to call the toll-free line or visit any NWSC office. “We often find people who tell us they did not know they had an illegal connection. If you are not sure, you should call us to check your status. For example, I would advise all buyers of houses to come to us to check the status of their new property. Some of them do not know that the previous owners have left a bill or illegal connection, which they inherit.”

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