Pro-poor water service strategies in developing countries: promoting justice in Uganda’s urban project

Water service to the urban poor presents challenges to political leaders, regulators and managers. We identify technology mixes of yard taps, public water points (with and without pre-paid meters) to meet alternative constraints, and reflecting populations served and investment requirements. Three investment scenarios have different implications for improving water access to over 400,000 citizens in Kampala. One component, pre-paid water meters, can promote social equity and institutional sustainability. If procedural justice is given as much weight as distributive justice in the selection of pro-poor programs, pre-paid meters (the ultimate cost recovery tool) can have a place in the investment plan. The study examines how public stand pipes (and a combination of other options) can meet both financial constraints and social objectives. Financial considerations cannot be wished away when seeking effective strategies for achieving the Millennium Development Goals.Water utility optimization; pro-poor connections; pre-paid meters; cost recovery; Africa; Uganda

Pro-poor water service strategies in developing countries: promoting justice in Uganda’s urban project

Water service to the urban poor presents challenges to political leaders, regulators and managers. We identify technology mixes of yard taps, public water points (with and without pre-paid meters) to meet alternative constraints, and reflecting populations served and investment requirements. Three investment scenarios have different implications for improving water access to over 400,000 citizens in Kampala. One component, pre-paid water meters, can promote social equity and institutional sustainability. If procedural justice is given as much weight as distributive justice in the selection of pro-poor programs, pre-paid meters (the ultimate cost recovery tool) can have a place in the investment plan. The study examines how public stand pipes (and a combination of other options) can meet both financial constraints and social objectives. Financial considerations cannot be wished away when seeking effective strategies for achieving the Millennium Development Goals

Pro-poor water service strategies in developing countries: promoting justice in Uganda’s urban project

Water service to the urban poor presents challenges to political leaders, regulators and managers. We identify technology mixes of yard taps, public water points (with and without pre-paid meters) to meet alternative constraints, and reflecting populations served and investment requirements. Three investment scenarios have different implications for improving water access to over 400,000 citizens in Kampala. One component, pre-paid water meters, can promote social equity and institutional sustainability. If procedural justice is given as much weight as distributive justice in the selection of pro-poor programs, pre-paid meters (the ultimate cost recovery tool) can have a place in the investment plan. The study examines how public stand pipes (and a combination of other options) can meet both financial constraints and social objectives. Financial considerations cannot be wished away when seeking effective strategies for achieving the Millennium Development Goals

The influence of commercial and customer orientation on utility efficiency: empirical evidence from NWSC, Uganda

Many water utilities in low income countries, in an effort to revamp their performances often begin with heavy infrastructural investment projects. Experience has shown that focussing on this engineering approach alone does not deliver the required efficiency gains. In this paper, we make use of data drawn from the operations of 14 NWSC utilities and our study covers the period 1995-2004. Due the non-availability of input price data and the need to account for ‘noise’ the study uses stochastic frontier analysis(SFA) to show that after a long spell of engineering orientation, a shift in emphasis to commercial/commercial orientation has a positive impact on reduction of utility technical inefficiencies

Internal Performance Contracts: A Case of the National Water and Sewerage Corporation in Uganda

International audienc

Impact of the school facilities grant on access and learning achievements in the primary education sector in Uganda

Dofiles, ready-for-analysis data used in the analysis published in the Final Report to 3ie on the project, "Impact of the school facilities grant on access and learning achievements in the primary education sector in Uganda" (project code UPW.01.IE-MA). This project was funded as part of the Uganda Policy Window round