Evelyn Lirri
7 November 2009
opinion
Having an independent regulator, improving the procurement process and good political will can help stem corruption in the water and sanitation sector, the Ministry of Water and Environment has suggested.
These are part of a number of reforms outlined by the ministry, which it says will be implemented through the newly formed Good Governance Sub Sector Working Group (GGWG).
This is after a survey it commissioned found that the water sector, like many other sectors is flawed with widespread corruption-an act that has contributed considerably to the sad state of water services in the country.
The reforms, contained in the water and sanitation sub sector good governance action plan reveal how the ministry intends to improve water service delivery by fighting corruption in the multi-million sector between now and 2012. At the moment, the ministry's Directorate of Water Development is the principal regulator of the urban water sub sector.
Conflict of interest
However, the report says it is constrained by human and financial resources and conflict of interest.
"The resulting minimal monitoring and regulation creates opportunities for corruption. Overall, the absence of an independent regulator of the sector is a major constraint to accountability, which results in a situation where the need for improved performance is not emphasized," the report suggests.
Besides setting up an independent regular, the action plan suggests that raising political will can help create momentum and legitimacy to drive institutional reform, including any anti-corruption effort.
"Without this, any anti-corruption strategy is bound to fail and not gain any traction. This political will and commitment should be demonstrated right across the length and breadth of both central and local governments. It is therefore essential that the Ministry of water and environment top leadership and the Water Policy Committee commit themselves to supporting implementation of the action plan,"the report says.
According to the shadow Minister for Environment, Ms Beatrice Anywar, lack of political will to make access to water available to all Ugandans has contributed to the corruption and denied millions of people the right to clean and safe water.
No commitment
"What we are seeing at the moment is the failure of government to ensure that all people have access to clean water and sanitation services. And without good will from government, many people will remain left out,"she said.
Other reforms suggested in the action plan are improving the contract management processes, instituting an investigation into the unit cost of delivering water, increasing transparency in the selection and management of private operators, taking stern action against corrupt officials and ensuring that civil society organizations play a more active watch dog role in the water sector.
State Minister for water, Ms Jennifer Namuyangu said her ministry had already started arresting water officials implicated in corruption.
These measures come on the heels of a baseline survey on integrity in the Uganda water supply and sanitation sector, whose findings Saturday Monitor published last week detailing corruption in the water and sanitation sector and the different levels at which it is being orchestrated.
Massive corruption
The report for example found massive corruption at the procurement and contracts awarding levels.
The survey found that corruption costs the water sectors billions of shillings every year and undermines water services, especially to the poor. It showed that for example, 56 percent of the customer respondents had made some bribes to expedite water connections to their homes.
Another 40 per cent of respondents said it took them between four-seven days to get re-connected, while 64 per cent (approximately 46 per cent of all respondents) who said they did not experience a problem in securing a connection had paid extra money outside official connection fees to get connected.
Others had paid bribes to falsify metre readings, 20 percent accused water providers of over billing them while 16 per cent of respondents said they were being billed inaccurately.
More than half of the respondents (51 per cent) reported that there was political interference in the selection of the private water suppliers and another 15 per cent said political interference was just fairly common. A high connection cost was pointed out by 28 percent of the respondents as a major obstacle in getting water.
Respondents also complained that utility providers were-often times tampering with metres which lead to exaggerated bill costs.
GGWG recommendations
•MWE leadership and GGWG raise political will for reform.
•Financially support activities of GGWG.
•Enforce sector guidelines in both rural and urban areas.
•Finalise a framework for regulation for the urban water sector.
•Strengthen information sharing between the water sector and anti corruption institutions.
•Increase transparency.
•Improve procurement and contract management.
• Build capacity in procurement at central and local government level.
• Help CSOs to play watchdog role in the sector
• Implement integrity pacts and codes of conduct.
• Take action against corrupt civil servants.
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