By Vincent Gunde
Orant Charities Africa ( OCA), an organization implementing Sustainable Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene ( WASH) for Kasese in Dowa district, says security measures must be mainstreamed into WASH programming to ensure long term sustainability.
Sustainable WASH for Kasese is an ongoing program which started in 2016, has been receiving annual funding from Orant Charities, United States of America ( USA) in the area of Senior Chief Chakhaza B targeting a total population of 49,000 people.
Presenting 2025 OCA achievements to the District Coordinating Team( DCT) in Dowa, Program Manager Mayamiko Mwenda, said the program is being implemented with an overall objective of reducing morbidity and mortality from WASH- related diseases in T/A Chakhaza B in the district.
Mwenda said the program works to prioritize preventive maintenance, improve infrastructure, promote sanitation marketing, and building community resilience.
He said the program has reduced Under- Five children diarrhea cases from 184 to 67, 84 percent of people in and around its catchment area- Kasese has access to basic water supply.
The Manager said sanitation has increased from 68 percent in 2023 to 83 percent in 2025 and Hygiene has increased from 11 percent in 2023 to 20 percent in 2025.
He said 10 new boreholes were drilled expanding access to potable water, and one borehole in Chilumpha village was postponed to 2026 due to dry wells.
The Manager expressed his great concern over Kabuluzi piped water project saying solar
submessible pump was stolen in June, 2025 affecting 2000 plus people.
He said the community did not sit idle, they made a response by raising K1, 185,000 toward replacement of the stolen solar submersible pump out of the required K5, 275,750.
On sanitation and hygiene outputs, Mwenda said the program has distributed 50 Kilogram of chlorine to 2,920 house holds, and WASH sensitization reached to 14,600 people via Health Surveillance Assistants (HSA).
” Entrepreneurs produced or sold 61 pit latrine slabs and constructed 94 corbelled latrines,” said Mwenda.
However, Mwenda said the program has been meeting some challenges in the course of implementation such as rapid price increases for cement, drilling and fuel, theft of submersible pumps, limited uptake of preventive maintenance, hygiene services, and sanitation marketing, and dry wells reported at Nambola and Chilumpha villages led to water scarcity.
In her remarks, Dowa District Council’s Water Development Officer Fanny Muula, called on partners implementing water interventions in the district to work hand in hand with the council in selection of water points and supervision of borehole drilling for the good of the Dowa communities.
[3/25, 10:11 AM] Vincent: Noted and thanks for verifying the story.
