No More Cry! NWSC Moves To End Kampala’s Water Shortages With Package 2B

By Frank Kamuntu

The National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) has said its ongoing Package 2B network expansion project will help end persistent water shortages across the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area by expanding the distribution system and unlocking more capacity from the Katosi Water Treatment Plant.

NWSC Managing Director Eng Dr Silver Mugisha said the project is critical to matching water supply infrastructure with the rapidly growing population of Greater Kampala, with the upgraded network expected to provide sufficient capacity to meet projected demand through 2040.

Dr Mugisha made the remarks on Wednesday while inspecting works under Package 2B, officially known as the Rehabilitation, Restructuring, Rezoning and Extension of the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (GKMA) Water Supply Network Project.

The project involves the construction of new transmission pipelines, reservoirs and booster stations, as well as improvements to the Kampala Water Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system.

According to Dr Mugisha, the immediate challenge facing Greater Kampala is no longer simply the production of treated water, but the ability to distribute it efficiently to areas where demand has increased sharply.

He said the corporation was therefore deliberately shifting its focus towards strengthening the distribution network so that water already being produced can reach more households and businesses.

“The demand for water in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Service Area is growing every day, and customers need answers. The project must be completed within time and budget,” Dr Mugisha said.

The Katosi Water Treatment Plant, which was developed to significantly increase Kampala’s water production capacity, currently produces only about 52 per cent of its available capacity because the existing distribution network cannot evacuate all the treated water to consumers.

Package 2B is expected to address this bottleneck by providing the transmission and distribution infrastructure required to move more water from Katosi into the metropolitan network.

Dr Mugisha also directed NWSC engineers to begin preparations for an additional water-evacuation line from Katosi, which has a potential production capacity of up to 240 million litres per day.

He said Package 2B would enable the corporation to evacuate the plant’s current output of about 160 million litres per day, while the proposed additional line would create room for further expansion as Katosi’s production increases.

“We have a lot of water at Katosi, and plans are under way to evacuate more and serve Kampala,” Dr Mugisha said.

He added that increasing the volume of water drawn from Katosi would reduce pressure on the older Ggaba water production facilities, which have historically carried a significant share of Kampala’s water demand.

Residents To Get Relief Before 2027

Although the entire Package 2B project is expected to be completed in 2027, NWSC says residents will begin benefiting from completed sections before the overall project is finished.

The contractor told Dr Mugisha that it was pursuing sectional handovers, allowing completed components of the network to be commissioned and put into use while construction continues elsewhere.

Among the first major sections expected to come into operation is the Namugongo-Kasangati pipeline, which is scheduled for commissioning by the end of 2026.

A 7.7-kilometre bulk pipeline running from Namugongo through Bulindo, Nsasa and Mulawa to the Kira-Kasangati road is also expected to improve water supply in Namugongo, Kira, Buwaate, Bulindo, Mulawa, Kasangati and surrounding communities.

Dr Mugisha welcomed the phased commissioning approach, saying NWSC should not wait until the entire project is completed before putting finished sections of the infrastructure into service.

He said he was encouraged by the pace of pipe-laying in Nansana, Katooke, Kawempe and other areas visited during the inspection, noting that construction sites had been adequately mobilised.

The NWSC chief directed the contractor and supervising consultant to prepare an acceleration plan and submit quarterly progress reports supported by measurable work on the ground.

He also pledged to personally inspect the project every quarter to ensure that construction remains on schedule, within budget and to the required quality standards.

The Package 2B project commenced in February 2025 and is currently about 35 per cent complete, according to NWSC.

About 25 kilometres of the approximately 70 kilometres of transmission mains have already been laid.

The Kungu booster station is the most advanced component at approximately 70 per cent completion, followed by the Kabulengwa booster station at 65 per cent, while the Mutungo reservoir stands at about 55 per cent.

The project includes the construction of three reservoirs: a 10-million-litre concrete tank at Kanyanya, a 3.89-million-litre steel tank at Kabulengwa and a one-million-litre steel tank at Mutungo.

Two booster stations are also being constructed at Kungu and Kabulengwa, alongside an upgrade of the Kampala Water SCADA control system.

NWSC Deputy Managing Director for Technical Services Eng Johnson Amayo urged the contractor to undertake thorough pressure testing of the newly installed pipelines to minimise the risk of leaks and bursts once the network is commissioned.

Project consultant David Gaunt assured NWSC that the works would be completed on time and to the required standards.

“We are looking at a project that will last over 50 years,” Gaunt said, while commending contractor Sogea Satom for its experience in delivering long-lasting infrastructure projects.

NWSC Senior Director for Engineering Services Alex Gisagara said the corporation had also built internal capacity to operate and maintain the new infrastructure after completion.

“Our team is already handling the Katosi and Kagera water works, which are new. Once Katosi Package 2B is done, our team is ready to effectively manage and maintain the system,” Gisagara said.

€92.4 Million Investment

Package 2B is principally financed by the French Development Agency (AFD), with additional support from the European Union, the European Investment Bank and Germany’s KfW.

The project is being implemented by Sogea Satom under the supervision of the ARTELIA-Gauff Association at a contract value of approximately €92.4 million.

Once completed, the expanded network is expected to strengthen water supply to communities across Kampala and Wakiso, including Kira, Kasangati, Gayaza, Matugga, Kawempe, Nansana, Wakiso, Kanyanya, Luteete and surrounding areas.

The project comes amid rapid population growth in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area.

The 2024 National Population and Housing Census put the combined population of Kampala and Wakiso districts at more than 5.2 million people, with Wakiso now Uganda’s most populous district.

NWSC says the rapid expansion of residential and commercial settlements has placed sustained pressure on an existing water network that is, in some areas, ageing and unevenly distributed.

With Package 2B, the corporation hopes to bridge the gap between water production and distribution, allowing Greater Kampala to make fuller use of Katosi’s growing production capacity while preparing the metropolitan area for rising demand in the years ahead.