AWDP; Uganda, Kenya water project set to commence

The Angololo Multipurpose Water Resources Development Project (AWDP), a Kenya, Uganda cross-border project is set to start. East African Community (EAC) launched the project and said the initiative is set to boost water and electricity supply in five towns in Uganda and Kenya.

The US$ 62M regional Transboundary water initiative is one of the priority projects under the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program (NELSAP), an investment program of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), and it is a part of the Sio-Malaba-Malakisi Transboundary Integrated Water Resources Management and Development Programme.

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Project advantage

The cross-border regional initiative includes the construction a 40-meter high dam with a reservoir capacity to hold approximately 43 million cubic meters at Kamachar in Moding location and a water storage reservoir. Ang’ololo Water Resources Development Project also includes the development of sanitation systems, as well as a system for flow regulation to control floods and manage drought situations.

The project is supported by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), a socio-economic flagship programme of the African Union (AU). The infrastructure will be built on the transboundary Malaba River between the two East African countries. The Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL), appointed by the EAC for the project implementation.

Upon completion, the project will improve the supply of drinking water and irrigation, as well as increase the electricity generation capacity for at least 127,300 people. In total, the project will benefit the towns of Tororo, Manafwa and Namisindwa in eastern Uganda, as well as Busia and Bungoma in Kenya.

A total of 20,000 households will receive continuous access to clean water and 3,300 hectares of land (1,180 hectares in Kenya and 2,120 hectares in Uganda) will be restored in Uganda and Kenya. The new dam will also generate 1.75 MW of electricity that will be fed into the power grids of both countries, contributing to the achievement of Uganda’s Vision 2040 and Kenya’s Vision 2030.