Over 60,000 homes in Mawogola to benefit from new clean water project
Musherure said the project is a major boost to rural communities, particularly women and children who have been affected by water scarcity, and commended the government for addressing the challenge.
A newly completed safe and clean piped water project, supported by the Export-Import Bank of India and the Ministry of Water and Environment. (Photo by Dismus Buregyeya)
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A total of 62,049 rural homes in Mawogola North County, Ssembabule District, have been connected to safe, clean piped water, worth sh9b, supported by the Export-Import Bank of India and the Ministry of Water and Environment.
The solar-powered water project covers 180km in the three subcounties of Mitima, Lugusulu and Mijwala subcounties, targeting to reduce the safe and clean water shortage by less than 50%, according to Shartsi Musherure, the State Minister for Micro Finance Designate, who was the chief guest during the handover ceremony of the project on Friday, June 26, 2026.
"The project is a blessing to our rural communities, especially the women and children who have been grappling with water scarcity. We must appreciate the government for coming to our rescue," Musherure, a former area MP, said. Relatedly, the Mawogola North County MP, Godfrey Aine Kaguta aka Sodo, appreciated Musherure and the government for lobbying for the project during her tenure. 
The designated State Minister for Microfinance, Shartsi Musherure (yellow dress); Mawogola North MP Godfrey Aine Kaguta; Sembabule District RDC Jane Frances Kagayi; and District Council Chairperson Patrick Nkalubo officiate at the sh9b water project in Sembabule District. (Photos by Dismus Buregyeya)
Cautioning against corruption, the Manager NWSC for Ssembabule district, Joshua Ruhweza, said no one should sell water above sh100 for every 20 litres "Nobody should charge you sh500 for a jerrycan of water," he warned.
The locals thanked the government for saving them from sharing water with animals at dams. "You have saved us from walking long distances searching for any sources of water, including cattle watering dams," Gorrette Katusime, of Mitima, said. She said that many families have been victims of water-borne diseases after consuming unsafe water.
The Ssembabule district Council Chairman, Patrick Nkalubo, said that the district and government invested in water dams and boreholes in the rural areas. Such projects failed due to the low water table challenges.
Last year, the National Water and Sewerage Corporation boss, Dr Silver Mugisha, said treatment water plants at Kyojja in Ssembabule and Gomba areas will be upgraded to increase their capacity and water quality. “We shall also utilise the River Katonga to extend water services to water-stressed areas in Ssembabule, including Kisozi –Gomba,” he said.
He said NWSC has designed a plan to step up its water production from the initial 400 cubic meters to 3.5m litres per day in the district of Ssembabule.
Dr Mugisha, however, expressed concern over the rampant destruction of wetlands and forests that posed a severe threat to water supply sources.
“We need to protect the swamps, rivers, forests, and the general environment to safeguard water extraction sources,” he said. He warned against the increasing cultivation and farming in swamps and wetlands, saying the practice will complicate the lives of the people in the future if interventions are not made.
The Ssembabule district environment officer, Jane Natukunda who said that her department lacks funds to enforce against the gross destruction of forests, swamps and wetlands in the area.