- One-fourth (26%) of Ugandans cite water supply as one of the most important problems they want their government to address. Water supply comes fourth behind health (62%), education (36%), and infrastructure/roads (34%).
- o Rural residents are twice as likely as their urban counterparts to cite water supply as a priority (30% vs. 16%).
- o Rural residents are twice as likely as their urban counterparts to cite water supply as a priority (30% vs. 16%).
- Fewer than two-fifths (37%) of surveyed communities have a piped-water system, while two-thirds (65%) have access to a borehole or tubewell.
- Only 2% of survey participants have their main source of water inside the house; most (87%) say it is outside their compound.
- A slim majority (53%) of urban residents rely on piped water for their main source of domestic water use, compared to just 14% of their rural cousins. Rural residents are more likely to turn to a tubewell or borehole (51% vs. 27%).
- o Across the entire country, nearly one in 10 respondents (8%) say they mostly make use of surface water. A similar share (7%) resort to drawing from an unprotected well.
- Half (50%) of citizens say they went without enough clean water in the past year, including 21% who say they experienced water shortages “many times” or “always.”
- Only 7% of enumeration areas possess a sewage system, with higher levels recorded in Kampala (49%) and urban areas (20%) than in other regions (0%-11%) and rural areas (1%).
- Merely 3% of Ugandans have a toilet or latine in their house; two-thirds (65%) say they have to access sanitation facilities outside their compound.
- Nearly six in 10 respondents (57%) approve of the government’s performance on provision of water and sanitation.
- o Approval ratings drop to below half among the very poor (49%) and residents of Western (48%) and Northern (47%) Uganda.
- o Positive assessments have fluctuated around half of the population since 2012.
Humans need access to clean water and sanitation to lead healthy and dignified lives. Through the United Nations’ (2015) Sustainable Development Goal 6, the international community has committed to providing “universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all” and “access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all,” with a special emphasis on women, girls, and vulnerable populations.
While it remains a top priority for the Ugandan government, the country still faces enormous challenges in providing access to safe drinking water and functional sanitation systems, especially in rural areas. UNICEF (2022) reports that diarrhoea – a consequence of poor sanitation and hygiene – kills an average of 33 Ugandan children every day. Scholarly analysis reveals that inadequate public investment in water and sanitation costs the country 2.9% of annual gross domestic product due to premature deaths, productivity losses, and health-care costs (Economic Policy Research Centre, 2024).
The Office of the Prime Minister (2024) says water demand is rising thanks to rapid population growth, urbanisation, and greater water consumption by growing agricultural and industrial sectors. International partners have worked with the Ministry of Water and Environment to expand piped-water systems and other water-systems infrastructure in rural areas (Japan International Cooperation Agency, 2021).
This dispatch is based on a 2024 Afrobarometer survey conducted in Uganda. Findings show that half of citizens went without enough clean water at least once in the year before the survey. Overwhelming majorities report that they can only access water and toilets or latrines outside their compounds. Poor and rural households are more likely than their better-off and urban counterparts to lack piped water and sewage systems in their neighbourhoods.
One-quarter of respondents say water supply is an urgent national concern requiring government intervention, though more than half approve of the government’s handling of water and sanitation services.
Related content
