By Felix Oketcho
National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), a government agency meant to provide water services to the public loses UGX5billion on monthly basis due to rampant water theft, Managing Director-Eng. Silver Mugisha has revealed.
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Unveiling a new campaign that is aimed at curbing the vice on Monday at NWSC headquarters in Kampala, Mugisha revealed that some of their staff connive with customers to carry out illegal connections costing the Corporation billions in revenue.
”In Kampala, we lose about UGX2billion per month and 5billion across the country. This is money that we can plough into service extensions and serve more people,” Eng Mugisha noted.
Mugisha however noted that the Corporation has given the customers the month of October, as amnesty to rectify their connections while staff who carried out the illegal connections have been urged to return to the field and rectify their mistakes before the law takes its course.
According to Mugisha, the above huge loss was discovered during the recent monitoring tour by the Corporation team on house to house service verifications which found out that some customers collaborate with NWSC staff to carry out illegal connections both on water pipes and sewerage systems whereas others alter meter readings, while in some other cases, customers connive with staff to change tariff categories.
“After the period we have given to them has elapsed, staff caught carrying out illegal connections will lose their employment while customers will be prosecuted according to the law, ” he warned noting that there is no room for water theft since the cost is affordable across the spectrum of rich and poor.
It is worth noting that NWSC charges 20 liter jerrycan only Shs100 while institutions including schools and hospitals are charged Shs84 which includes service fees and VAT.
