Package 2B to close Kampala water gap

The National Water and Sewerage Corporation said on Wednesday that its Package 2B network expansion project is intended to ease recurrent water shortages across the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area by expanding distribution capacity and allowing more treated water from the Katosi Water Treatment Plant to reach consumers. NWSC managing director Eng Dr Silver Mugisha made the remarks during an inspection of the works on September 2, 2026, according to Nile Post and The Independent. The project is valued at Shs350 billion and covers rehabilitation, restructuring, rezoning and extension of the metropolitan water network. Mugisha said the works are aimed at both immediate shortages in fast-growing areas and demand projected through 2040. ### Why is Kampala still facing shortages if Katosi already produces water? The Katosi Water Treatment Plant is producing about 160 million litres a day, but NWSC says the problem is not raw production capacity alone. The utility says only about 52% of Katosi’s capacity is being used because the existing distribution network cannot carry all the treated water to customers. NWSC said that has left some parts of Greater Kampala with intermittent supply even after major investment in production. (nilepost.co.ug) ChimpReports reported on July 2 that Mugisha said the shortages were tied to urbanisation and population growth that had outpaced sections of the older network. He said the current gaps were “temporary in nature” and were being addressed through infrastructure investments. The same report said Katosi was commissioned in December 2022, adding 160 million litres a day in production capacity, but that distribution had not expanded at the same pace. (nilepost.co.ug) ### What exactly is Package 2B building? Package 2B includes new transmission mains, reservoirs, booster stations and rezoning of parts of the metropolitan network, according to NWSC and local media reports. ChimpReports said the works include about 71 kilometres of large-diameter primary transmission and distribution pipelines and three major service reservoirs at Kanyanya, Kabulengwa and Mutungo. UBC reported in February that the project started in February 2025 and also includes booster infrastructure intended to move water deeper into northern and western parts of Kampala and surrounding areas. (chimpreports.com) French support is part of the financing and implementation backdrop. UBC reported that the French Development Agency, known as AFD, backs the expansion and that French Ambassador to Uganda Virginie Leroy toured the project in February. She said the works were critical to ensuring water produced at Katosi reaches households and businesses. ### Which areas are supposed to benefit first? (nilepost.co.ug) A 7.7-kilometre bulk pipeline from Namugongo through Bulindo, Nsasa and Mulawa to the Kira-Kasangati road is due to be ready from December 2026, The Independent reported. The publication said that section is expected to improve supply to Namugongo, Kira, Buwaate, Bulindo, Mulawa, Kasangati and surrounding areas ahead of full completion. (ubc.go.ug) Nile Post said Mugisha was satisfied with pipe-laying progress in Nansana, Katooke and Kawempe and supported sectional handovers so completed components can be switched on before the whole project is finished. UBC had earlier listed Kira, Kasangati, Gayaza, Matugga, Kawempe, Nansana and Wakiso among the areas expected to receive more reliable service once the network is completed. (independent.co.ug) ### What did Mugisha tell contractors and engineers? Mugisha told contractors that rising demand in Greater Kampala required the project to stay on schedule and within budget. “The demand for water in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Service Area is growing every day, and customers need answers,” he said during the September 2 inspection, according to Nile Post and The Independent. He also directed NWSC engineers to begin work on an additional water-evacuation line from Katosi as the plant scales up. (nilepost.co.ug) The additional line is tied to future output at Katosi. The Independent reported that Katosi is designed to produce up to 240 million litres a day, and Mugisha said Package 2B would allow NWSC to evacuate the plant’s full current output of 160 million litres a day while the new line would support higher abstraction as capacity rises. ### When will people see results on the ground? (nilepost.co.ug) The contractor told NWSC that the entire project is expected to be completed in 2027, Nile Post reported. The same report said the Namugongo-Kasangati line should be commissioned by the end of 2026, giving one of the earliest visible milestones. UBC reported in February that full completion was scheduled for August 2027. (independent.co.ug) Quarterly inspections and progress reporting are now part of the next step. Nile Post said Mugisha pledged to inspect the project every quarter and directed the contractor and supervising consultant to submit an acceleration plan and quarterly progress reports. NWSC has also said finished sections will be commissioned as they are handed over rather than waiting for the full Package 2B works to conclude in 2027. (nilepost.co.ug)