KAMPALA- In the late 1990s, obtaining a water connection in Kampala meant enduring a fortnight of assessments and paperwork, only to queue at the National Water & Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) to settle the bills.
Fast forward to the present, and Ms. Janet Ndagire, a project associate at UN Global Pulse, reflects on the transformation: “I haven’t visited the office in over five years. Their services are seamless.”
Digital Strategies Revolutionizing NWSC
Back in the 1990s, NWSC operated in 28 towns, generating annual revenue of Shs150-160 billion. Today, it serves over 270 towns nationwide, with revenue soaring to Shs500 billion in 2023. Engineer Jude Mwoga, NWSC’s director of information and operations, attributes this threefold increase to a series of digital strategies that have streamlined the corporation’s work.
“We operate as a data-driven organization,” Mwoga states, emphasizing a systematic approach in every department for collecting, storing, analyzing, and disseminating data. The corporation, serving around 900,000 customers, boasts a robust customer relations system. This system promptly addresses complaints, maps them, and quarterly analyzes them to identify areas experiencing water shortages, enabling informed decisions for system upgrades.
Efforts to assess water quality involve systematic monitoring of samples, informing the understanding of chemical consumption levels and areas where water quality may be deteriorating. While telemetry investment to monitor bursts in water piping is under consideration for efficiency, some water plants in metropolitan Kampala already operate under the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, highly automated and computer-centric.
NWSC is not only improving its internal operations but also integrating with other government entities in alignment with Uganda’s national data strategy, moving away from data silos. Peter Mutungire, the information technology director at NWSC, highlights phased data integration with entities like the Uganda Revenue Authority for the invoicing system.
“The taxman is authorized by law to access customer information. We share data strictly related to our customer’s consumption of water because this is what constitutes a taxable element,” says Mutungire, addressing concerns about personal data privacy.
The NWSC is exploring validating clients’ national identification numbers, contingent on successful data integration with Uganda’s National Identification and Registration Authority.
Mutungire credits “organizational restructuring” for bringing the office closer to an ideal level of efficiency. The autonomy of the IT department has enabled customers to apply for services and make payments effortlessly through digital systems, eliminating queues and enhancing overall customer experience.
