The Government of Uganda, through the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), has launched a multi-billion shilling emergency water infrastructure project in Hoima City to satisfy rocketing demand ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
NWSC Managing Director Dr. Silver Mugisha unveiled the Shs14.24 billion initiative during a media briefing at the corporation’s corporate headquarters in Nakasero. The intervention represents a critical component of the state's strategic capital investments in the Albertine Region, securing essential utilities for both the upcoming continental football showcase and the city's rapidly expanding oil and gas industrial ecosystem.
Uganda is set to co-host the AFCON tournament alongside East African neighbors Kenya and Tanzania from June to July 2027, with match fixtures distributed across Kampala, Lira, and Hoima.
The newly commissioned project will extract raw water from River Kafu in Kikuube District, routing it through a newly built conventional treatment facility before pumping it directly into Hoima City via a bulk transfer pipeline network. Technically designated as the "Hoima 2" system, the infrastructure package will deliver:
- A conventional water treatment plant with a processing capacity of 2,000 cubic meters per day.
- An expansive 25-kilometer network of high-pressure transmission and distribution pipelines.
- A 300-cubic-meter elevated steel storage reservoir stationed at Musaijamukulu Hill.
- Fully integrated pumping systems, electrical substations, and automated storage controls.
Dr. Mugisha explained that the Hoima 2 project serves as an urgent, short-to-medium-term intervention to reinforce the legacy "Hoima 1" system. The existing network has faced severe structural strain under the weight of exponential urbanization, population surges, and heightened commercial consumption tied to local petroleum exploration.
“The current system is no longer sufficient to adequately meet the water needs of Hoima City and its surrounding areas,” Dr. Mugisha stated, highlighting the urgency of bridging the daily supply deficit.
Looking past the immediate 2027 tournament deadline, NWSC engineering teams are already finalizing blueprints for an even larger "Hoima 3" water supply network. Once construction capital is cleared, the Hoima 2 and Hoima 3 systems will be interconnected into a unified, redundant grid to guarantee long-term municipal climate resilience.
“NWSC appeals to government to make available the required funding for implementation of the Hoima 3 Water Supply System immediately upon completion of the designs,” Dr. Mugisha urged. “Timely investment in Hoima 3 will secure the long-term water future of Hoima City and support Uganda’s broader economic transformation agenda.”
The active Hoima 2 project is co-financed through a joint funding agreement between the Central Government and NWSC reserves. Engineering teams have been handed a strict, non-negotiable eight-month construction timeline to guarantee full operational readiness well in advance of the sports tournament.
The civil works contract has been awarded to Zhonghao Overseas Construction Engineering Company Limited. Addressing the firm's executives, Dr. Mugisha issued a firm warning against bureaucratic delays or cost overruns.
“Time delays will not be acceptable,” the Managing Director emphasized.
Zhonghao Overseas Construction was represented at the signing by Managing Director Ma Yongqian and Deputy Managing Director Wang Feifei. The corporate leadership formally pledged to deliver the project in strict compliance with international engineering quality benchmarks, within budget, and on schedule.
Furthermore, the construction firm committed to strict adherence to Uganda's statutory Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BUBU) and local content regulations. The contractor confirmed it will aggressively recruit local engineering manpower and artisans from the host communities across Kikuube and Hoima to stimulate the regional grassroots economy throughout the construction lifecycle.
