Luzira water cut off
May 26, 2005
PIPE water to Luzira Prison, Uganda’s biggest prison, has been disconnected over failure to clear an outstanding bill of over sh300m.
By Jude Etyang
PIPE water to Luzira Prison, Uganda’s biggest prison, has been disconnected over failure to clear an outstanding bill of over sh300m.
The National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) cut the supply on Tuesday after a misunderstanding with the prison authorities.
Both Luzira Prisons establishment and the administrative headquarters in Kampala city were disconnected. The four prisons facilities in Luzira have 4,400 inmates.
The NWSC manager for Kitintale branch under which the prison falls, Sarah Namuwonge, yesterday said the bill for the prison facility, including staff quarters, is sh322,117,354, while for the headquarters the bill is sh8,873,945. The Prison account at NWSC is 25332-A/1 while for the staff quarters is 34-779.
“They were cut off on Tuesday, but they are promising to pay,†Namuwonge said.
The deputy commissioner of Prisons, James Mwanje, admitted that the piped water was disconnected.
He said NWSC acted after misunderstanding a Ministry of Finance budget advisory, which indicated that the Prisons department had received funds to pay the water bill.
There is an agreement between the Government departments that utility funds are supposed to be transmitted directly to utility providers without diversion, Mwanje said.
He said NWSC had received advice projections for the department and assumed that it had got the actual release.
PIPE water to Luzira Prison, Uganda’s biggest prison, has been disconnected over failure to clear an outstanding bill of over sh300m.
The National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) cut the supply on Tuesday after a misunderstanding with the prison authorities.
Both Luzira Prisons establishment and the administrative headquarters in Kampala city were disconnected. The four prisons facilities in Luzira have 4,400 inmates.
The NWSC manager for Kitintale branch under which the prison falls, Sarah Namuwonge, yesterday said the bill for the prison facility, including staff quarters, is sh322,117,354, while for the headquarters the bill is sh8,873,945. The Prison account at NWSC is 25332-A/1 while for the staff quarters is 34-779.
“They were cut off on Tuesday, but they are promising to pay,†Namuwonge said.
The deputy commissioner of Prisons, James Mwanje, admitted that the piped water was disconnected.
He said NWSC acted after misunderstanding a Ministry of Finance budget advisory, which indicated that the Prisons department had received funds to pay the water bill.
There is an agreement between the Government departments that utility funds are supposed to be transmitted directly to utility providers without diversion, Mwanje said.
He said NWSC had received advice projections for the department and assumed that it had got the actual release.