Uganda, Kenya launch Angololo transboundary water project

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The Uganda and Kenya governments in collaboration with the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) through its Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program (NELSAP), have launched the Implementation Phase of the Angololo Water Resources Development Project.

The project will strengthen food security, expand access to electricity and boost regional integration.

The launch took place on Wednesday (April 16) in Busia with delegations from both countries committing to oversee its success at all costs. 

The $137 million transboundary initiative funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the NEPAD-IPPF Special Fund, is designed to transform lives across the shared Sio-Malaba-Malakisi (SMM) River sub-basin.

It is further set to bring direct benefits to more than 300,000 people in Tororo, Namisindwa, and Manafwa Districts (Uganda) and Busia and Bungoma Counties (Kenya).

Beatrice Atim Anywar, the Minister of State for Water and Environment, who represented Uganda, said it was time to utilise all natural resources for the benefit of Ugandans.

“As we look forward to benefiting from this project, let’s do everything possible to conserve, defend and protect the source of this natural resource. Households will gain access to clean and reliable water and reduce the time spent fetching water. We shall also have new business opportunities in farming and trading, and inclusive development programs under the Parish Development Model (PDM),” she stated.

Eng. Eric Murithi Mugaa, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Water, Sanitation and Irrigation, said that apart from supplying fresh water to the communities in the two countries, the project’s multi-sectoral approach will lead to improved food security, public health, job creation, and resilience to climate change, with special attention to vulnerable groups such as women, youth, and people with disabilities.

According to Dr Florence Grace Adongo, the NBI Executive Director, the project explains what Uganda, Kenya and Nile Basin countries can achieve when they work together.

She added that the project will not only improve livelihoods but further strengthen regional cooperation and peace.

Dr Alukwe Isaac, the Regional Coordinator- NELSAP-CU, stated that with both countries having agreed on every aspect of the initiative, the only remaining step is the implementation of the project.

“I have been familiar with this project since 2015. We have lobbied for it, and now we can see progress going forward. May God bless this project,” he added.

Eng. Eric Murithi Mugaa and Minister Beatrice Anywar at the signing of the bilateral agreement.

Also, schools, health centres, and businesses will benefit from reliable electricity and water supply, unlocking new potential for community development.

Project background 

The Angololo Water Resources Development Project was first identified in 2010 by the Republics of Kenya and Uganda through the Sio Malaba Malakisi (SMM) River Basin Management Project, under the coordination of NELSAP.

The goal was clear: to promote modernised irrigated agriculture and support both countries’ national development visions.

In Uganda’s Vision 2040, the country aspires to transform the Agriculture sector from subsistence to commercial agriculture through mechanisation and introduction of modern irrigation systems. For Kenya, its Vision 2030 aims to provide irrigation infrastructure for 384,000 acres by 2030.

With grant support from the Royal Governments of Sweden and Norway, NELSAP undertook initial pre-feasibility studies.

These formed the foundation for the project’s inclusion in the African Development Bank (AfDB) Indicative Operations Pipeline in 2018.

Following a formal request by both countries, and with endorsement from the 18th Nile Equatorial Lakes Council of Ministers (NELCOM) meeting in 2015, NELSAP secured grant financing from the NEPAD-IPPF Special Fund to prepare the project for investment.

Between 2020 and 2022, comprehensive preparatory work was carried out: feasibility studies, detailed designs, environmental and social assessments, and a resettlement framework. This effort brought together international consultants, national technical experts, community stakeholders, and local governments.

Now, with the groundwork complete, Kenya and Uganda are moving forward with joint implementation under the framework of the Nile Basin Initiative, with NELSAP continuing to provide technical coordination and oversight.

Transformative infrastructure for shared prosperity

The Angololo project includes:

-A 40-meter-high composite dam with 31.6 million cubic meters storage capacity

-A 1.3 MW mini-hydropower plant to boost rural electrification with the plan to add solar floating pontoons in the reservoir generating 20 MW

-A 4,000-hectare irrigation scheme for year-round farming

-A domestic and livestock water supply network to serve over 270,000 people

-Restoration of 30% of the 447 km² degraded watershed upstream of the dam

-A fisheries and aquaculture program to support food security and local enterprise

-Flood control infrastructure to protect farmland and homes downstream