BY JOACKIM KULE
Government through the Ministry of Water and Environment has today introduced a contractor who will construct the Nyamugasani Water Supply and Sanitation Project in Kasese district to the local leaders.
The project worth over shillings 90 billion will run from May 2024 to December 2025 under the government’s Integrated Water Management and Development Program with funding from the World Bank.
It is aimed at improving access to water supply, sanitation services and capacity for integrated water resource management.
Eng. Lamu Olweny, the Assistant Commissioner for Rural Water and Sanitation Department in the Ministry of Water and Environment who introduced the contractor to the district leadership revealed that after following the necessary procedures, Zhongmei Engineering Group Limited managed to win the contract that will be implemented in two phases with the first one expected to consume shillings 61.2 billion.
Phase I of the project will cover 08 sub-counties including Kyarumba, Kyondo, Kisinga, Kitabu, Nyakatonzi, Lake Katwe among others and two Town Councils; Kyarumba and Kisinga.
Eng. Olweny explained that the project which is being implemented all over the country will see Kasese taking the lion’s share because of its vast size, population and vulnerability to accessing safe and clean drinking water.
Eng. Patrick Baluku Syaipuma, the Kasese District Water Engineer, who commended government for selecting the district to be among the beneficiaries, revealed that most communities within the district were facing related to access of safe and clean drinking water.
According to him, the district currently stands at 61% in terms of safe water coverage with only 80 gravity flow schemes, 250 boreholes and 08 solar powered sources in Nyakiyumbu, Kitswamba and Karusandara among other lower local governments.
Mr. Mustafa Kikusa, the Principal Assistant Secretary who represented the Chief Administrative Officer at the meeting that was held at the District Council, stressed that in addition to the Nyamugasani Water Supply and Sanitation Project, government is also implementing two other water projects including Nyangorongo and Kithakena each at shillings 4.5 billion.
Other designed gravity flow schemes are Mbunga, Dunguluha, Bwera and Rwigho.
Lt. Joe Walusimbi, the Kasese Resident District Commissioner who was the Chief Guest at the meeting, warned the contractor against doing shoddy work and taking more time than the contractual period.
He used the same platform to reveal that the security situation was favorable to have the contractor successfully do his work.
ENDS