The Eastern Water Umbrella has failed to account for over Shillings 203Million for the water supplied to Katakwi Town Council. Eastern Water Umbrella, which is under the Ministry of Water and Environment operates in 34 districts of Eastern Uganda.
It supplied over four million liters of water to Katakwi Town Council without collecting cash commensurate to the supply.
Samuel Ediau, the Eastern Water Umbrella Station Manager in Katakwi, says that his station pumps over nine million liters of water to 632 water consumers but they end up collecting less than 35 percent of the expected revenue every month.
Ediau says that the losses are incurred through illegal consumption, something he notes is causing a loss of over 50 percent to the eastern water umbrella.
Piera Walker, the Regional Manager in charge of Eastern Water Umbrella, says that they are going to constitute a committee to monitor and investigate illegal connections, adding that anyone found culpable will be produced to the court.
The Government of Uganda through the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE) and other developmental partners established water umbrellas to provide safe water and improved sanitation and Hygiene to the mushrooming town councils in the country.
The umbrellas are regionally based and mandated to directly manage and support Piped Water Supply and Sanitation facilities in line with CAP-152, Section 50-52 of the Water Act. Dorothy Akengo, a resident in Katakwi Town Council, says that the statement on losses is a camouflage for the mismanagement of funds by the officials under the umbrella.
“I don’t think that Katakwi here has people more knowledgeable on plumbing than the team sent from Kampala. If indeed there are leakages, it must be within the system which should be investigated. My prayer is that they shouldn’t disconnect us during Christmas celebrations”, she said.
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