Sam Kayaga

Paying for water services: effects of household characteristics

Maximising cost recovery is currently a top priority for managers of urban water utilities in low-income countries. This research was carried out in 11 major towns of Uganda to establish which household characteristics influence payment for water services. A questionnaire was used to collect data on customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and several socio-economic variables. Using regression techniques, it was established that the following attributes of the household head moderated the satisfaction and loyalty relationship: gender, occupation and level of education. Other significant factors were household income and property tenure status. These results could be used to make water utilities customer-focused.

Attitudinal and socio-demographic effects on willingness to pay for water services and actual payment behaviour

Improving revenue collection rates and minimising the levels of ‘bad debts’ is currently a top priority for managers of water utilities in low-income countries. This study used empirical data from a cross-sectional survey of 505 utility customers in eight urban centres in Uganda to show that customer attitude towards prompt payment, perceived ease or difficulty of paying on time (perceived control), as well as social pressure, strongly influence intentions to pay, which in turn directly affects actual prompt bill payment behaviour. The findings also show that gender, income, occupation of the household head and tenure status have statistically significant direct relationships with intentions, but their effects are much smaller compared to the joint influence of attitudes, perceived control and perceived social pressure. Moreover, the effects of gender and occupation are completely mediated by perceived control and social pressure respectively. These results have implications for improving revenue collection through customer-focused initiatives.

International water targets and national realities in Sub-Saharan Africa: the case of Uganda

ABSTRACT This article considers how to reconcile ambitious UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for universal piped water supplies with developing country realities in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). A concise process for effective reviews of medium-term national targets is proposed and is applied in an analysis of the current provision of piped water to households and shared community facilities in urban and rural settings in Uganda. Different disciplinary perspectives are adopted to review trends, the performance of key stakeholders and their scope for achieving new targets. Only about 5% of households have piped water supplies on their premises in rural areas in SSA. To achieve the SDG target of 100% coverage will, therefore, take a long time and requires continued support for the sustainability of community water facilities as a priority. The SDGs offer sensible long-term aims, but national medium-term target setting and reviewing remain critical and require realistic and systematic planning approaches, as well as careful global reporting of national performance against SDG targets. The authors argue that balanced incentives are needed to encourage stakeholders to strive for realistic targets in the medium term, without demotivating countries with limited capacities and resources.

Improving on-plot sanitation management in low-income settlements of cities of developing countries: case study from Maputo, Mozambique

Whereas water service coverage in urban areas of developing countries was estimated at 94% of the urban population in 2011, coverage for sanitation services was much lower, estimated at 74%. This paper reports on the sanitation situation in Maputos low-income settlements, and highlights the important role played by non-state actors in providing solid waste management (SWM) and faecal sludge management (FSM) services to most residents of Maputos low-income settlements. Data were collected in 2011, through analysis of policy/bproject documents, semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, and observations in three neighbourhoods. While SWM services in Maputo have tremendously improved, there are huge service gaps in emptying, transporting and disposing of faecal sludge from pit-latrines, the most dominant sanitation facility in Maputo. There is need to create a conducive environment for more effective engagement with non-state actors so as to scale up delivery of FSM services. Lessons from SWM can be adapted for FSM in Maputo and cities of other developing countries.

Collaboration with HEIs: A Key Capacity Building Block for the Uganda Water and Sanitation Public Sector.

The capacity of public service staff in developing countries is crucial for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Literature from developed countries shows that, working with higher education institutions (HEIs), industries have improved their human resource capacity through continuing professional development. This paper reports on research carried out in Uganda to examine the drivers of and barriers to collaboration between the water/sanitation public sector and HEIs. The results show that, whereas stakeholders from both sides consider collaboration to be important for achieving their corporate goals, there is a need to overcome organizational constraints and strengthen existing collaborations, which are largely perceived as weak and/or informal.