The National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) has rolled out a far-reaching development strategy aimed at revolutionising water access and sanitation services across Uganda over the next five years. The corporation’s newly introduced 2025–2030 Strategic Plan seeks to extend clean and safe water services to millions more Ugandans while improving efficiency, reliability and financial sustainability within the sector.
Operating under the theme “Water for All for Health and Prosperity,” the ambitious blueprint is aligned with Uganda’s Vision 2040 and the country’s Fourth National Development Plan. NWSC leadership says the strategy is intended to accelerate service delivery and respond to the growing demand for water caused by rapid urbanisation and population growth across major towns and cities.
The corporation enters this new phase after recording remarkable growth during the previous five-year cycle. Between 2020 and 2025, NWSC expanded its operational coverage from 258 towns to 287 towns, significantly increasing access to piped water services nationwide. During the same period, the number of customers grew from 724,000 to more than one million connections.
The population benefiting from NWSC services also rose sharply from 15 million people to nearly 20 million, highlighting increasing reliance on the corporation for urban water supply. Financial performance equally improved, with annual turnover jumping from UGX 385 billion to UGX 649 billion, while customer satisfaction levels remained stable at approximately 80 percent.
As part of the new targets, NWSC now plans to increase the population served to 26 million people by 2030. The corporation also intends to expand pipeline infrastructure by more than 500 kilometres and install at least 60,000 new water connections every year in a bid to bridge service gaps in underserved communities.
One of the biggest priorities in the new strategy is reducing non-revenue water, which continues to affect operational efficiency and revenues. Current estimates show water losses standing at around 34 percent, mainly due to leakages, illegal connections, vandalism, faulty meters and ageing infrastructure. NWSC says it aims to reduce these losses to 28 percent over the next five years.
To finance the implementation of the plan, the corporation estimates that approximately UGX 8.2 trillion will be required. Officials say a large portion of the funding will come from internally generated revenues, while development partners, government support and market-based financing mechanisms will provide the remaining resources needed to complete major infrastructure projects.
NWSC management has also revealed plans to strengthen digital systems, improve real-time monitoring and modernise operations to enhance service delivery across the country. The corporation maintains that stronger partnerships with communities, security agencies and development stakeholders will be essential in protecting water infrastructure and ensuring that millions more Ugandans gain access to reliable and affordable clean water services by 2030.
