Kitgum Municipality reviews sanitation progress, environmental management

26 August 2026, 6:27 pm

By Otim Moses

Kitgum Municipal Council has held its annual sanitation reflection session to assess progress, achievements and challenges in sanitation management and environmental protection within the municipality.

The meeting, held on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at the Council Boardroom, brought together municipal leaders, technical staff, Water For People, sanitation service providers and officials from the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC).

Speaking during the meeting, Kitgum Municipal Town Clerk, Mr Akuma Muzamil, commended Water For People for supporting efforts to improve sanitation in the municipality. He said bringing key stakeholders together was important in identifying challenges and finding practical solutions.

Water For People Programme Manager, Mr David Kakwere, said the organisation was working with the municipality to strengthen partnerships and improve sustainable sanitation services. He said the annual reflection would help stakeholders identify remaining gaps and develop solutions within the project period.

Water For People Senior Programme Officer, Mr Geoffrey David Nyeko, reported that the project had so far supported the construction of 73 new sanitation stances and the upgrading of 21 others. He said 98 per cent of girls’ school sanitation facilities had been completed.

The project had also trained sanitation service providers, including masons, pit emptiers, sewage service providers and lagoon operators. Three liquid soap-making groups, one in each municipal division, had also been trained and were supplying soap to communities.

The municipality has additionally established a sanitation task force to coordinate sanitation activities.

Municipal Health Inspector, Ms Rhina Kareo, said the Council had developed sanitation by-laws which had been approved by the Council and were awaiting further approval from the Attorney General.

She said the Council had also recruited health staff and provided transport to support sanitation monitoring and supervision. Public toilets had been constructed at Labuge, Lulojo and Ojuma markets, while sanitation facilities had also been constructed at Kitgum Girls Primary School Blind Annex.

She added that the municipality had already been implementing the Keep Kitgum Clean campaign before the Government introduced national cleaning days.

However, Kareo identified inadequate funding, delays in approving sanitation by-laws and intermittent supplies of safe water as some of the major challenges affecting sanitation management in the municipality.

Meanwhile, NWSC Kitgum Branch Manager, Ms Abonyo Caroline, said the corporation had made 161 new connections in the last financial year and was targeting 183 connections in the current financial year.

She said increasing demand for water services might require additional production capacity alongside the existing facility in Mucwini.

Kitgum Municipal Mayor, Hon Okwera Richard Ojara, commended the technical teams, sanitation service providers and development partners for their contribution towards improving sanitation.

He urged sanitation service providers to strengthen their marketing strategies and improve the quality of their products and services.

The Mayor also appealed to Water For People to explore possibilities of renewing its contract in Kitgum, saying continued support would help sustain and expand sanitation improvements in the municipality.

He called on Water For People, NWSC and other development partners to join the municipality in the national cleaning exercise scheduled for Saturday, August 29, 2026.

The reflection meeting highlighted the need for continued collaboration among local authorities, communities, private sanitation providers and development partners to improve sanitation, protect the environment and ensure a cleaner and healthier Kitgum Municipality.