Masindi women trek for hours in search of water
Leaders inspect a borehole constructed by women in Bujenje County in Masindi District. Residents in the area are struggling to access safe water for domestic use. PHOTO | ISMAIL BATEGEKA
What you need to know:
- Once the wells dry, many resident dig into their pockets to buy water from those who have set up private water systems.
In many lower local governments, such as Bulima and Bwijanga sub-counties in Bujenje County, Masindi District, residents are struggling to access safe water for domestic use, forcing many women and children to undertake long journeys daily in search of the life-sustaining liquid. Ms Sarah Nakato, a mother of four from Bulima Town Council, said each day, especially during the dry season, begins with a trek for water. During dry periods, locally dug wells often dry up.
Ms Nakato said she rises before dawn, often accompanied by two of her children, each carrying a five-litre jerrycan. “It used to be a short walk to the borehole in the neighbourhood, but now it’s hours away because it’s no longer functioning; this time we have to walk a bit longer to another water source point,” she said. When the well dries, like many others, her only option is to reach into her pocket and buy water from those who have set up private water systems. The cost of a jerrycan ranges from Shs300 and Shs500, a growing expense for her larger family, which now requires about Shs3,000 a day to purchase water.
Many residents, especially those whose communities have faced challenges accessing safe water for years, believe that the government can meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 by 2030, which aims for universal access to safe and affordable drinking water. Mr Osbon Bajuga, the chairperson of Bulima Town Council, said his community has suffered from lack of access to safe water for many years.
“Some people have tried to dig wells on their private land, but it’s costly, and many families simply can’t afford it,” he said. In 2024, Masindi District received Shs415 million from the central government—Shs246.7 million for rural water and sanitation and Shs168.5 million for piped water. However, not all planned activities were completed, leaving the construction of the Kikuube Piped Water Project in Bujenje County only 60 percent complete, with many families still lacking access to clean water. An inspection carried out in August 2024 revealed that although all allocated funds were used, several critical activities were either delayed or unfinished. In villages with broken boreholes, residents have been left with no alternative water sources.
The report recommended that the district accounting officer work closely with the Ministry of Water and Environment to secure additional funding. The money is needed for repairing broken boreholes, completing delayed water projects, and testing water sources for safety. To tackle the water scarcity challenge as the rainy season approaches, some women in the community have joined forces to pool money, ranging from Shs100,000 to Shs130,000 per family to purchase water tanks which are strategically placed to harvest rainwater.
Ms Grace Bukiirwa, a leader of a women’s initiative on water storage, said they decided to buy water tanks after waiting in vain for government support. Thus far, approximately 13 water tanks have been procured and installed in various homesteads and villages. “We could not wait for the government. Women understand this problem better because we are the ones fetching water every day. Our children were missing school because they spent hours looking for water. We had to do something ourselves.
After women collected money, I sometimes topped it up to ensure we bought a tank that could store enough water during the rainy season,” Ms Bukiirwa said. She added that other community members have begun digging wells near their homes, while others continue to contribute towards the purchase of more community water tanks.
Ms Bukiirwa said if funds are available by next year, they hope to buy at least 10 more tanks. She appealed to non-governmental organisations and other well-wishers for assistance by either drilling boreholes or donating more water tanks for affected communities. Masindi has 1,530 domestic water points, with 201 of them non-functional for over five years and labelled abandoned.
The Water Atlas of the Ministry of Water and Environment states that 51 percent of people in the district rely on shallow wells, 24 percent use boreholes, and 23 percent depend on springs. The 2024 Masindi District Auditor General’s report presents a troubling reality: 62 water facilities are out of service, some for 16 years, with 11 on the verge of closure. In Bujenje County, where there are 51 villages, residents have no reliable water sources.
Population pressure
According to the 2024 National Housing and Population Census report, 81.1 percent of households in Uganda have access to improved water sources for drinking, while 18.9 percent rely on unimproved sources. The report further points out disparities between urban and rural areas, with 86.6 percent of urban households accessing improved water sources compared to 77.4 percent in rural settings.
Additionally, the census indicates that 39.2 percent of households use boreholes as their main drinking water source, a figure significantly higher in rural areas (48.9 percent) than in urban areas (25 percent).
One of the main barriers to accessing safe water identified in the report is the distance to water sources; about 70 percent of households are located within one kilometer of an improved water source. In total, 24.1 percent of households have their water source on the premises, while 13.9 percent travel between one and five kilometres to fetch water.
