The National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) has formally demanded reimbursement from the Uganda Railway Corporation (URC) following damages caused by a contractor working under its purview. The legal team representing NWSC submitted a charge letter to URC after an incident on August 23rd, 2024, resulted in significant financial losses for the water utility.
NWSC is seeking compensation of UGX 4.7 million to cover damages to its infrastructure. According to a report from the corporation, the contractor, M/s Imathia Construction S.L., damaged a DN50 pipe (a pipe with a nominal diameter of 50 millimeters (about 2 inches) while laying culverts, leading to an immediate response from NWSC’s field team. The team successfully plugged the damaged pipe, but the situation escalated when the contractor later unplugged the pipe and used NWSC’s water supply to mix concrete without authorization.
Ms. Brownie Ebal the Principle Legal Officer for Kampala Water and Kakuru Thomas, the legal minds behind the case, submitted the charge letter to Abbey Sserunkuma, the Branch Manager-Mbalala to deliver to the URC. Note that the NWSC team is committed to pursuing legal action if necessary to secure the compensation owed. “We will not tolerate any negligence or disregard for our infrastructure, and we are prepared to explore all available legal avenues,” Ms. Ebal emphasized.
The Uganda Railway Corporation has not yet responded publicly to the claim. More developments to come.
