Kyankwanzi leaders hail Govt for solar-powered piped water project
The two systems, constructed at a cost of sh5.8b under the Integrated Water Management and Development Project, were funded by the Government of Uganda with support from the World Bank.
Newly completed water office block, guard house and 105,000-litre reservoir tank mounted on a 20-metre tower at Bugomolwa RGC Water Supply and Sanitation System. (Photo by Rhyman Agaba).
_________________ (Photo by Rhyman Agaba)
Kyankwanzi district leaders have commended President Yoweri Museni and his government for extending solar-powered piped water to rural communities, saying the project will reduce the burden of fetching water and improve access to safe and clean water.
The leaders made the remarks on Wednesday (August 26) in Kiteredde village, Bananywa sub-county, during the handover of the Kikonge-Nakasero and Bugomolwa water supply systems for Bananywa and Nkandwa sub-counties.
The two systems, constructed at a cost of sh5.8b under the Integrated Water Management and Development Project, were funded by the Government of Uganda with support from the World Bank.
Kyankwanzi Deputy Resident District Commissioner Peruth Kabaale said the project was a major relief to residents, who previously depended on unsafe water sources, including dams that they used to share with animals.
“Some time back, our people of Kyankwanzi have been sharing water with the animals because the dams were constructed. That's where they used to get their drinking water and water to use at home,” Kabaale noted.
She said the availability of piped water would particularly benefit women and children, who traditionally carry the biggest burden of fetching water.
Kabaale commended the contractor, Ambitious Construction Company Limited, for providing additional toilet facilities at the project sites, saying the facilities were a bonus and not part of the original contract.
“We are very appreciative to the Government of Uganda for having considered us for such a project, to provide safe water to our people,” Ssemugaba said.
However, Ssemugaba said more investment was needed because Kyankwanzi has 21 sub-counties, yet only a few have benefited from piped water systems.
He appealed to the Ministry of Water and Environment to increase funding for water infrastructure, particularly in the district's growing urban centres and other underserved areas.
Engineer Umar Ssekabemba, the deputy branch manager of the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Regional Centre IV under the Ministry of Water and Environment, said the two projects in Bananywa and Nkandwa sub-counties were designed to provide reliable water to thousands of residents.
The regional centre provides technical support to 23 district local governments in central Uganda.
Ssekabemba said the Kikonge-Nakasero system has two pumping stations and boreholes, with pumping stations producing 24 cubic metres of water per hour while boreholes produce 7 cubic metres per hour.
The system has two reservoirs with capacities of 100 and 55 cubic litres respectively, and a 24-kilometre distribution network serving more than seven villages and over 20,000 people.
At Bugomolwa, the project has a 24-cubic-metre-per-hour borehole, a 105-cubic-metre elevated reservoir and a distribution network serving five villages of; Bugomolwa A, Bugomolwa B, Bugomolwa Central, Kinikibi and Kyanywa.
Ssekabembe said the system has 6.7 kilometres of distribution pipelines, 69-yard taps and five public standpipes.
The project also includes a pump house, water office block and staff quarters, as well as an extension of the low-voltage power grid to the office and staff quarters at the reservoir site.
Ssekabemba said the ministry expects the facilities to serve the communities for more than 20 years, but urged the district and residents to protect and maintain the infrastructure.
“Much as this has been done, to us we still have a long way to go,” he said, noting that water access in Kyankwanzi remains below the desired level.
He urged district leaders to identify schools, health centres, prisons and other institutions without piped water so they can benefit from upcoming government programmes.
The contractor's project engineer, Eng. Dinesh Kara, said construction started on November 20, 2024, and was completed on April 22, 2026.
Kara and the company's site engineer, Shiyani Parth Jadvji, led the inspection visits at the various project sites.
The solar-powered systems also have alarm-fitted solar panels to strengthen security and guard against vandalism.
Two new motorcycles were handed over to the district to support supervision and monitoring of the facilities.
Annet Nakyanzi, a resident of Kyankwanzi, welcomed the project, saying access to piped water closer to homes would save residents the time and energy previously spent walking long distances in search of water.
John Manizibayo, the chairperson of Kiteredde village, also welcomed the project, saying improved access to clean water would contribute to better sanitation and reduce the risk of waterborne diseases.