Uganda Water Governance: Sector Participatory Accountability Review
- cgrandadam
- 6 hours ago
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Report of the National Review with Focus on the Districts of Lira, Kabarole, and Bunyangabu
New assessment is a call on government, regulators, service providers, civil society, and development partners to work together to strengthen corruption prevention, improve integrity of service providers and institutions, and enhance meaningful participation.
Uganda's legal, policy, and institutional framework for water governance has evolved significantly in the last 10 years and now provides for clearer responsibilities, improved coordination platforms, and better performance monitoring systems. Accountability in the sector has been strengthened through proactive regulation, (joint) sector review processes, sector consolidation of service delivery and clear responsibilities, and the active oversight of the Office of the Auditor General and other national institutions.
However, despite this robust framework, service delivery is not keeping pace with demand. The system falters under stress from climate impacts, population growth, undue political interference, or corruption incidents. There are gaps between strong rules, their implementation, and the ability of the sector to handle issues and non-compliance.
Without decisive integrity-focused action, these weaknesses will continue to undermine service reliability, financial sustainability, environmental protection, and public trust.
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CONTEXT
The Water Integrity Network conducted an accountability review for the Ugandan water sector with support from UWASNET starting in 2024. The study provides a broad review of transparency, accountability, participation, and anti-corruption measures in the water sector across investment planning, service delivery, governance of sector institutions, resource management, and environmental protection.
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WATER GOVERNANCE AND INTEGRITY IN UGANDA: MAIN FINDINGS
The assessment shows that:
National planning documents, budgeting procedures, and sector review processes are generally well established and are among the most clearly defined elements of the sector.
Planning, sector review processes, permitting, and drilling oversight appear to face fewer integrity challenges compared to other thematic areas.
The area with the most pronounced weaknesses is the governance and management of sector institutions including service providers. This is one of the only areas where the rules and obligations are also minimal or absent. Sector institutions lack anti-corruption strategies and systems, including whistleblower protection. Many decisions are at the discretion of key players, and there are significant openings for malpractice.
The report also highlights a few specific integrity concerns:
Procurement, where the corruption risk remains high across the different levels.
Water quality management, where district capacity has deteriorated, testing is irregular, and communication and follow-up is limited.
Tariff setting and revenue management, where discretion is high.
Integrity issues in sanitation, especially on-site sanitation, need further investigation.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
There are three main priorities for water governance, covering different recommendations:
A strong sector positioning on integrity: transparency, accountability, participation, and anti-corruption in law and policy; integrity metrics in regulator reports; integrity research; and broader dissemination of findings from oversight institutions.
Integrity at institutional level for strong water authorities, local water offices, and water committees: requirements on internal integrity and anti-corruption systems including codes of conduct, standardised operating procedures, whistleblower protection, and strong customer service; training and support for financial management and open procurement.
Strong accountability through transparent regulation AND civil society engagement: funding and support for social accountability and engagement with water users and civil society; capacity, clear criteria and processes for regulation, especially on tariff setting, gazetting, and water quality management; capacity for cooperation with national oversight institutions (OAG, IG) and PPDA.
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DOWNLOAD
See all findings per water sector area and detailed recommendations:
Title | Uganda Water Sector Participatory Accountability Review: Report of the National Review with Focus on the Districts of Bunyangabu, Kabarole, and Lira |
Author | Water Integrity Network |
December 2025 | |
Contributors | UWASNET |
Abstract | This report provides a comprehensive integrity and accountability assessment of Uganda’s water sector, evaluating how effectively the country’s legal and policy framework is implemented in practice. Using a de jure–de facto approach and field verification in three districts, it examines transparency and accountability in investment planning, service delivery, and environmental management. The findings reveal a persistent gap between well-defined rules and weak corrective action and implementation, with significant vulnerabilities in enforcement, procurement , financial management, water quality monitoring, and corporate governance. |
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