Business

Restoring trust in Kampala’s informal settlements with stakeholder engagement

By daily

Posted on April 15, 2025

KAMPALA: Trust isn’t something you install alongside a new pipeline, and in Uganda’s urban slums, it’s been in short supply. But that’s slowly changing, thanks to the persistent effort by the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) to show up, listen, and do things differently.

Let’s be honest, access to clean water in places like Katanga and Kinawataka has long been a messy, complicated affair. Overcrowding, crumbling infrastructure, and the not-so-small matter of illegal water connections have made daily life harder than it needs to be. And when the water does flow, it often does so with strings attached.

Rather than shrug and carry on, NWSC has taken a more hands-on approach. It is revolutionary, consistent, deliberate, and deeply rooted in community. In Katanga, for example, the story now includes fully functioning water kiosks and pre-paid meters, safe, affordable, and placed where people can conveniently access them. Say, where they actually live. Managed by local leaders and trusted agents from within the community, the kiosks do more than deliver water. They spark ownership, accountability, and even the occasional neighbourly nod of approval.

Meanwhile, in Kinawataka, the push goes beyond infrastructure and taps into behavioural change campaigns. Yes, actual campaigns with humans knocking on doors are slowly shifting habits. Whether it’s promoting handwashing, discouraging water wastage, or helping families understand why that strange-looking sanitation facility isn’t just for decoration, NWSC is putting the work in. Schools and religious leaders have joined the charge, making water education feel a bit more like, well, part of life.

But the real twist, and a good one at that, in this story is that NWSC is directly talking to people. Not the kind of talking that ends with, “We’ll look into it,” but the kind where suggestion boxes do not gather dust and water user committees are more than ceremonial. Add in community meetings, satisfaction surveys, and an open line for complaints, and suddenly public service starts to feel less distant.

It’s still a work in progress. Rebuilding trust never happens all at once, especially in places where past service gaps and misinformation have left scars. However, in Katanga and Kinawataka, something is shifting. The water is cleaner, voices are louder, and the partnerships, however unlikely they once seemed, are growing stronger by the day.

So no, this is not about grand unveilings or dramatic ribbon cuttings, but rather about showing up, meeting by meeting, and proving that public utilities can actually work with the people they serve.