Introduction: Kabarole’s WASH Journey
Over the last 5 years, Uganda’s Kabarole Districthas seen positive change and development for water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). These improvements include progress across fundamental WASH system building blocks, improved policy and planning,and more efficient maintenance and support structures. Coverage has steadily increased:water targets for basic and safely managed service are on track to meet Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2030 goals, and sanitation targets for basic coverage are on track, although there arechallenges to meeting safely-managed sanitation targets.
WASH services in Kabarole District aregenerally underfunded; receiving $292,000 in the 2020-2021 financial year.The 2018-2030 Kabarole District WASH Master Plan (WMP)estimatesthe cost of providing universal access to water services by 2030 is $24 million, and access to sanitation services is $48 million.
With a population of 403,000, 80% of Kabarole District’s population is engaged in subsistence farming. Administratively, the district is made up of one municipality (Fort Portal city), one county, five town councils, three municipal divisions, 13 sub-counties, 67 parishes and wards, and 503 villages.
The Local Government Management of Service Delivery Performance Assessment in 2019 and 2020 assessed the water and sanitation sector in Uganda on human resource management, environmental and social safeguards, and on six performance measures related to service delivery, reporting, management, and environmental and social requirements. Kabarole was ranked second out of 134 local governments with a score of 79 percent for water and 76 percent for sanitation.
The remainder of this brief introduces an innovative structure that has a role in some of this change. It isbased on reviewing key documents, available data, and interviews with stakeholders.
The District WASH Task Team
Kabarole has a special structure that does not exist elsewhere. The DWTT is led by the District Secretary for Works and Technical Services. Its membership comprises of representatives from the political and technical wings of the local government at all levels as well as other government agencies, the private sector, and civil society such as NGOs, religions organizations, the media and individual stakeholders.The DWTT mobilizes and convenes a diverse range of sector players in pursuit of a common WASH agenda.
IRC, with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Sustainable WASH Systems Learning Partnership, formed the DWTT in March 2017 as a forum for learning and influencing WASH planning, implementation, and monitoring. The DWTT provides a mechanism to connect people on the ground, sub-national organizations and agencies responsible for providing services and support, and decision-makers at the national levelto engage in collective learning to influence WASH. Following IRC’s learning alliance approach, the DWTT serves as a multi-stakeholder platform to steer the development and implementation of the WMP.Since the WMP was launched in February 2019, the DWTT has served as the reference point for a shared vision and guiding strategy for WASH in Kabarole.
The Learning Alliance Approach
Learning alliances are platforms for convening stakeholders with the purpose of developing a shared vision and change agenda.[1]The learning alliance process can be used to strengthen capacities, generate evidence, document the outcomes of interventions, ascertain needs and gaps, or inform public and private sector as well as local and national policies.IRC implemented the learning alliance approach in Kabarole District to engage a new group of stakeholdersto help find new solutions to sustainabilitychallenges within the local WASH sector.
Findings: Influence and Impact of the DWTT
Knowledge transfer
Uptake of technology:Many of the improvements in sanitation and hygiene originated from discussions within the DWTT. These have includedintroducingSaTo (safe toilet) pan latrine technology and replacingtippy taps with hands-free or pedal taps.
Knowledge and skills: The DWTT has facilitated learning and capacity development through training Water User Committees on best practices in operating and maintaining water infrastructure, messaging around hygiene, and protecting water sources. The DWTT has also facilitated capacity development for water and sanitation committee members and community development officers in the “software” aspects of WASH such as managing group dynamics, community engagement, and mindset change.
Efficiency in operation and maintenance of infrastructure:During a visit to Kamuli District, members of the Kabarole Hand Pump Mechanics Association discovered that the district maintained a stock of equipment to ensure that spare parts were readily available whenneeded. This approach eliminatedthe frustrating delays that often happen when parts have to be ordered through lengthy procurement procedures.Back in Kabarole, the DWTT recommended adoption of the same approach. Today, the District Water Office maintains a stock of equipment that allows for quick responseswhen repairs are needed. This ensures minimal interruption in service and reinforces communities’ belief in the system of paying for water.
Additionally, although the WMP has not yet brought the anticipated boost in funding, the performance of the district has nonetheless improved due to efficiencies gained through the positive changes recommended by the DWTT as can be seen in its rankings nationally and improvement across the building blocks and QIS ladder as seen in Figure 3.
Policy change
Improvement in sanitation standards: Following development of the WMP, the DWTT embarked on the formulation of a District WASH Ordinance, currently going through the ratification process. The ordinance will consolidate headways in sanitation by legally backing measures to promote safely managed facilities. Today, drainable pit latrines are recommended and ecological sanitation (commonly known as “eco-san”) practices are gradually taking hold.
Paying for water is gaining acceptance: In spite of occasional resistance, consistent advocacy among local leaders and community engagement have yielded increased acceptance of the idea of paying for water. As recommended by the DWTT, the District Council passed a resolution that requires every household to pay a monthly water tariff.
Planning and data
Optimizing investments:Thetendency to invest in multiplewater systems simultaneously across sub-counties resulted in resources being spread so thin that they could not create meaningful impact. To rationalize investments, the DWTT advised against scattering resources. The district subsequently adopted a policy that focuseson attaining full coverage in one area at a time. Likewise, WASH in schools and health facilities used to be treated as a responsibility of the ministries of education and health. The DWTT was instrumental in the policy shift that led to the integration of institutional WASH into mainstream planning for the sector.
Planning roadmap:The WMP serves as a planning blueprint. It is the baseline upon which targets and priorities are defined and resources allocated. Figure 4 shows the 2030 vision against 2017 and 2020 data.
The WMP target for Kabarole District is to provide basic water services to all by 2030, with 21% of the population having access to safely managed services and 79% having access to basic services.According to 2020 water services monitoring data, the overall level of water service improved.Twelve percent of the population had access to safely managed services, up from zero percent in 2017 and exceeding the 2021 target.Thirty-three percenthad access tobasic services, up from 22% in 2017, 26% had access tolimited services, and 29% had access tounimproved services.
The 2030 target set by the WMP is to provide basic sanitation services for 72% of households, and safely managed services for 28%.The 2020 sanitation services monitoring data indicates that the proportion of households with access to basic sanitation increased from 28% in 2017 to 63% in 2020, exceeding the 2021 target. The proportion of those with access to limited services declined from 53% to 22%, also exceeding the 2021 target. Open defecation, however, remained a challenge as the evidence showed that it was still practiced in 15% of households;the target iszero percent. Safely managed sanitation also remains a problem with the 2020 achievement still at zero percent against the 2021 target of 5.9%.
Progress toward 2030 targets calls for doubling up on investment in water and sanitation.Data of this kind equips DWTT members for advocacy and resource mobilization efforts.[2]
Integration of WASH in planning:Adopting the WMP in Kabarole District was a significant milestone. It inspired the local government’s decision to invest only in piped systems as opposed to water point sources. This clarity in policy has equally encouraged the private sector, such as financial service providers, to create WASH-related financial products and facilities for their clients.WASH is now integral to the district development strategy which has resulted in improved funding for the sector and contributed to Kabarole’s top rating in national WASH performance. Due to the budget allocations for WASH following the enactment of the WMP, the number of unserved villages dropped from 60 in 2017 to 13 in 2021.
Evidence-based decision-making:A baseline study on the status of WASH in Kabarole District became the basis of the WMP.[3]DWTT members involved in the baseline study and other similar studies have benefitted from training and experience in data management, analysis, and utilization.In interactions with DWTT members, the importance of facts as the basis for policy was routinely reiterated andthey were glad evidence is being used more than in the past when decisions were driven by other factors such as political interests.
Working together
The power of collective action:There are many examples of partnerships and engagements forged through the DWTT. IRC pooled resources with the local government and funded a water project in Masongora parish in Kabende sub-county that was implemented and co-funded by the National Water and Sewerage Corporation. The local government had earmarked funds but they were inadequate. IRC came in to plug the deficit, then the corporation contributed by providing the pipes and carrying out the works. In a similar scenario, African Agency for Integrated Development (AAID) partnered with the local government in a cost-sharing arrangement through which the two pooled their resources to fund the supply of water in Kasenda and Kichwamba sub-counties.
Inclusiveness and equity: Inclusiveness and equity are now entrenched as bedrocks of WASH service delivery in Kabarole. For instance, previously geography was a key determinant of access to services, especially water.As a policy, the district has moved away from small-scale water point supply systems to large-scale piped systems that provide access to more quantity and quality of water for larger populations, regardless of geography.
Process monitoring:DWTT meetings serve as a mechanism for WASH partners in Kabarole to monitor each other’s plans and activities.Information received through updates and feedback on activities allows stakeholders to understand progress on actions and to give input on next steps.These interactions are a useful mechanism for monitoring, influencing, and holding each other and the district authorities accountable in line with the agreed commitments under the WMP.
Looking forward
The DWTT is institutionalized and focused on influencing the district to prioritize WASH services in its planning and resource allocation through community engagement and political commitment to attain the goal of universal and sustainable access to WASH services. The success of the WMP will ultimately be judged by the extent to which it generates resources needed to fund itstargets. The insights generated, recommendations made, and reports produced by the DWTT are key drivers of advocacy and lobbying to influence budget allocations toward WASH.With funding from SWS ending, the DWTT has requested financial resources from the district, and there is commitment across the board on continuing the platform,including from government stakeholders, but funds have yet to be made available.
The source of the DWTT’s influenceisits membership. It is composed of individuals who are well connected and therefore able to carry its ideas and proposals directly to decision makers. Individual members in positions of authority caninfluence the actions and decisions of their respective organizations, thereby accelerating the change process. The success of the DWTT in mobilizing action is proof of how a diversity of actors — including politicians, technocrats, private sector, and civil society— can synchronize interests and effect change.
Acknowledgements
This research brief was prepared by George Lugalambi, with valuable contributions and support from colleagues Martin Watsisi, Wilbrord Turimaso, Jane Nabunnya, John Butterworth, and Bret McSpadden. All the credit for the progress made by the DWTT should go to the Kabarole District Councilunder the leadership of theHon. Richard Rwabuhinga (Kabarole District Chairperson). For more information, contact Jane Nabunnya at nabunnya@ircwash.org.
