The Environment for Development Initiative (EfD) Makerere Centre has launched two new collaborative projects – on improving water bill payments in the National water authority and a quasi experimental  analysis of the Forest Authority Afforestation projects. The launch is a significant achievement for the year 2021/2022.

The projects were launched during the centres seminar series held on 13^th October 2022 at the EfD Confrence room. The function was graced by the Principal College of Business and Management Scieces Prof. Eria Hisali as chief guest. It was also attended online by the EfD Global hub Manager for Research Dr. Amuakwa-Mensah, Franklin and project collaborators ,

While officially launching the projects, Prof. Hisali said as a developing country the  university cannot afford to do research for the sake of doing research but research   that is going to have an impact on policy, change people’s lives and have  findings that are immediately useful.

“This does not mean that that it should not be rigorous. It should be as rigorous as possible but  it should be immediately relevant to our environment and needs”, Hisali stressed.

To achieve that, the Principal expressed the need for policy makers and implementers, the researchers and the private sector to come in one room and discuss some broad thematic areas and agree on areas   immediate relevancy and the biggest knowledge gaps.

The second phase according Hisali is to prepare some few background papers around the broad thematic areas that give the scope and insights of the advances of the methodological approaches and a few other things and then commission relevant studies.

“If we take that route, we are going to come with findings that are immediately useful. As researchers in this part of the world we cannot afford at all to do research for the sake of doing research. We should do rigorous research that links to the problems that we are facing as acountry and that speaks to providing solutions to the list of problems”, Hisali re – emphasized

As the leadership of the college, Hisali pledged to remain committed to working  closely  with  patners  and to continue permitting  all processes required to support the colleagues doing research.

The new  projects

Project one titled, “Improving Bill Payments for Water and Sanitation in Uganda” is spearheaded by Prof.  Edward Bbaale as  the Principal Investigator . Bbaale is also the  Director EfD Mak Centre. He assisted by Co-Principal Investigators. Dr. Nicholas Kilimani (EfD-Mak & Makerere University) Dr. Rose Kaggwa (National Water and Sewerage Corporation), Dr. Nicholas Mwebaze (National Water and Sewerage Corporation) and Dr. David Fuente (EfD & University of South Carolina).

Prof Bbaale said the  motivation behind the study was based on the global water and sanitation infrastructure challenge and the need to respond to the SDG 6  on the provision and attainment of “Safe and affordable water and sanitation for all by 2030” and Uganda’s NDPIII and Vision 2040- increasing access to safe water for all.

“Arrears undermine utilities financial sustainability. For Example in  South Africa: households owed municipal governments 40 billion Rand (about 4 billion USD). In Nairobi, Kenya: ~60% of customers have arrears while in Kampala, Uganda (study location): 57% of residential customer accounts have arrears”, Bbaale said.

He said the study will  be conducted in Kampala – National Water and Sewer Corporation (NWSC) aimed at reducing customer arrears and bill non-payment,  improve financial sustainability of utilities, boost the agency’s financial position to cater for its investments and also increase the social welfare benefits from the agency’s investments

The project according to Bbaale will document pathways through which improved billing can result in better bill payment hence sustained revenue for the agency.

“Improving agency’s financial sustainability enhances its ability to improve the quality of services and the expansion of access to households who lack access to piped water and sanitation services.

There are welfare benefits associated with the improved quality and coverage of the agency’s services, i.e., improved health, increased time for productive work, increased school attendance”, He added.

Established in 1972, NWSC, is a public utility company 100% owned by the Government of Uganda and is  mandated to supply water and sewerage services to 257 cities and towns across the country with a customer base standing at 711,556 accounts.

The Customer base  of the NWSC currently stands at 711,556 accounts with total arrears level of Uganda Shillings 69,471,961,698 billion government arrears inclusive and 32,962,667,390 billion non-government arrears.

The project area of study that is, Kampala water area, has total customer base of 357,342 accounts.  Out of these accounts 202,484 are domestic accounts with non-government arrears of Uganda shillings 10,584,626,646 billion (2.8 M USD) contributing 69% of the total non-government arrears.

Policy implications

Reduce customer arrears and bill non-payment and improve financial sustainability of utilities and ensure households maintain access to services

Documentation of the implications of an efficient revenue mobilization in harnessing resources for effective service delivery

Direct engagement of National Water in the project will increase potential for using the study’s results to inform policy and practice.

Knowledge co-production and policy engagement

The second projects titled, “ Quasi-Experimental Analysis of National Forestry Authority Afforestation Projects in Uganda”, is being led by   Dr. Patrick Byakagaba of Makerere university . The Project Co-PIs are  Professor Katrina Mullan (university of Montana), Professor Jeff Vincent (Duke university),  Mr. John Diisi (National (Forestry Authority Uganda)and Mr.  Mr. Peter Babyenda of Makerere University.

Dr. Byakagaba said Uganda continues to experience wood deficit and natural forest loss and this led to NFA and partners to invest afforestation projects

This study intends to evaluate these afforestation projects in terms of their contribution to well-being and landuse/landcover dynamics

The study sites according to Byakagaba will  be villages  adjacent to each reserve and control communities will be >5km from reserve within the same landscape. The selected study areas are Katugo (Nakasongola) – long history of planting (multiple harvests) and mostly planted by NFA; Kasagara (Nakasongola) – more recent planting, by many small private planters; Bujawe (Hoima)- more recent planting, small private planters and; Kachung (Dokolo) – more recent planting, single large private planter with FSC certification

“The aim is to evaluate the socio-economic and forest-cover impacts of the forest plantations but specifically to analyse the impacts of NFA afforestation programs on human well-being

 and also to assess the impacts of NFA afforestation programs on land use/land cover dynamics

The proposed proxy indicators for household well-being that will be studied include;  employment, income, food security,  poverty” Byakaga explained adding that spatial land use/cover datasets from the National Forestry Authority will be used for assessing landuse/landcover dynamics, and,  the Theory of change by SPGS will be applied in interrogating the impacts

Report by

Jane Anyango

Communication Officer