Uganda wants to build a green economy powered by innovation, renewable energy and climate-resilient development. Yet nearly 35 million people lack access to basic sanitation, only two per cent of public investment in water, sanitation and hygiene reportedly goes to the sector, and some schools have no reliable access to clean water.
The contradiction raises a fundamental question about the country’s development priorities: how can Uganda achieve sustainable economic transformation when millions of its citizens still lack essential services needed to protect their health, dignity and livelihoods?
The challenge goes beyond toilets, water sources and drainage systems. It touches on public health, economic productivity, climate resilience and the government’s ability to turn environmental commitments into practical improvements for communities.
Dr Robin Nandy, UNICEF Representative and Head of Office in Uganda, argues that the country cannot achieve sustainable economic transformation while millions remain without basic sanitation.
“Investing in water, sanitation, and hygiene is investing in Uganda’s people’s economic productivity and future prosperity,” Nandy said.
Figures presented by UNICEF indicate that basic water coverage stands at approximately 63 per cent, while basic sanitation coverage is only 24 per cent. The gap highlights a persistent development challenge: access to water does not automatically guarantee adequate sanitation. Communities also need appropriate facilities, safe waste-management systems and resources to maintain them.
Poor sanitation exposes people to preventable diseases, increases pressure on health facilities and undermines children’s well-being. In schools, inadequate sanitation and unreliable water supplies compromise hygiene, dignity and the learning environment, particularly for girls and other vulnerable learners.
The economic consequences are equally significant. Illness, time spent searching for basic services and household expenditure on preventable health problems undermine productivity and deepen poverty.
Sanitation should therefore not be treated merely as a social service competing with investments in economic growth. It is part of the infrastructure that enables people to participate in a productive economy.
“We cannot achieve sustainable economic transformation while leaving millions without access to these essential services,” Nandy said.
The reported two per cent public investment figure raises questions about whether funding matches the scale of the need. Although the figure does not establish total expenditure by government, private investors and development partners, the low sanitation coverage strengthens the case for examining whether existing financing arrangements are delivering sufficient results.
The challenge is not simply to mobilise more money but also to ensure that funding reaches underserved communities, infrastructure is completed and services remain functional after projects end.
Climate change is making this task more difficult by placing additional pressure on water resources and livelihoods.
Nandy warned that about 60 per cent of Uganda’s population is exposed to drought risks that threaten water infrastructure and economic activities. He cited food insecurity, nutrition challenges and drought conditions in Karamoja as examples of how climate shocks affect vulnerable communities, particularly women and children.
Drought can reduce water availability for households, schools and health facilities, while flooding can damage infrastructure and contaminate water sources. These shocks deepen existing inequalities and force governments and households to spend additional resources repairing damaged infrastructure instead of expanding access to services.
Nandy has called for climate-resilient water and sanitation systems that can withstand droughts, floods and other environmental shocks while remaining financially sustainable.
This requires more than constructing new facilities. Infrastructure must be designed for local conditions, maintained over time and supported by financing that keeps services operational.
Integrating climate adaptation into public health and development planning is essential to protect investments and ensure reliable access to basic services.
Digital transformation offers another potential avenue for addressing these challenges.
Nandy identified smart water monitoring, digital payment systems and data-driven management as ways to improve the efficiency and financial sustainability of water and sanitation services. He also pointed to renewable energy, water-efficient irrigation and sustainable sanitation enterprises as potential areas for investment.
Digital monitoring could help service providers identify faults, track water use and improve maintenance, while better data could help authorities direct resources towards communities facing the greatest shortages. Renewable energy could support water pumping and other essential services, while efficient irrigation could help farmers manage scarce water resources.
However, technology alone cannot resolve inadequate financing, weak infrastructure or poor accountability. Digital systems require reliable electricity, affordable connectivity, relevant skills and institutions capable of using information to make decisions.
Sanusi Tejan, Chief of Mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Uganda, warned that innovation must deliver practical benefits rather than become an objective in itself.
“Technology alone, however, will not deliver this transition. Uganda also needs affordable connectivity, reliable energy, relevant skills, responsible investment, enabling policies and institutions capable of managing innovation for the public good,” Tejan said.
His warning highlights the risk that the green transition could deepen existing inequalities if rural communities, refugees, migrants, women and young people cannot access its benefits.
IOM is working with the Ugandan government, with support from Japan through the Tokyo International Conference on African Development initiative, to develop solar-powered energy hubs in refugee-hosting areas of the West Nile region. The hubs integrate services such as irrigation, cold storage and livelihood support, using a pay-as-you-go system intended to make energy and related services more affordable.
The approach connects renewable energy to productive activities. Reliable power can support agriculture, preserve perishable produce and create opportunities for income generation.
IOM is also working with government on a climate displacement risk index, a decision-support tool combining information on climate exposure, vulnerability and displacement. According to Tejan, the system could help institutions anticipate risks, guide adaptation planning and direct resilience investments towards communities facing the greatest threats.
Such information could help authorities prepare for environmental pressures before they develop into more severe humanitarian and economic crises, particularly in refugee-hosting areas where population movements can increase demand for water, sanitation and energy.
Tejan has also called for investment in electronic waste management and the responsible reuse of solar-energy components, arguing that discarded technology could create opportunities for technical training and employment. The long-term value of these initiatives will depend on sustained funding and measurable benefits for communities.
While digital systems and climate-risk tools offer longer-term possibilities, a proposal to provide 500 water tanks to schools illustrates the immediate needs Uganda must address.
Youth Go Green is seeking partners to support the initiative through a Sustainable Development Goals Run scheduled for November 8. Edwin Muhmuza, the organisation’s chief executive officer and coordinator of the CEOs’ Breakfast Meeting, said some schools had no access to clean water.
“Some of our schools have no access to clean water, actually access to zero water at all,” Muhmuza said.
He described the situation as evidence of the urgency of action, saying, “Uganda is really bleeding.”
The proposed distribution of 500 tanks supports Sustainable Development Goal Six, which seeks to ensure access to water and sanitation for all. However, the impact will depend on which schools are selected, whether the tanks can be filled consistently and how their maintenance will be financed.
Water storage can help schools manage shortages, but tanks alone cannot guarantee sustained access to safe water. Schools also need dependable water sources, suitable sanitation facilities and arrangements for maintaining the infrastructure.
Muhmuza has called for stronger collaboration between Parliament, government institutions, businesses and development partners. He also said a five-year programme would support strategic interventions addressing environmental challenges.
Meanwhile, Tejan commended Parliament’s proposed National Environment, Sustainable Development and Climate Change Programme for 2026–2031. He highlighted the proposed “One Constituency, One Million Trees” initiative, stressing that tree-growing programmes should ensure trees survive and mature rather than focus solely on the number planted.
Both proposals underline the importance of implementation. Whether the intervention involves school water tanks or tree planting, success depends on sustained funding, clear responsibilities and monitoring beyond the initial announcement.
Uganda’s green-economy ambitions will require public financing, private investment, technical innovation and stronger coordination among institutions. But the ultimate measure of success should be whether these efforts improve living conditions and strengthen communities’ ability to withstand environmental shocks.
Nandy has called for innovative financing mechanisms combining public resources, development finance, climate funds and responsible private investment. He has also emphasised better data, local entrepreneurship and professional skills to ensure infrastructure delivers lasting results.
The critical question is how these proposals will translate into measurable improvements: more households accessing basic sanitation, schools obtaining reliable water, infrastructure surviving droughts and floods, and vulnerable communities gaining sustainable livelihoods.
That requires scrutiny of the money committed, how it is allocated, which communities benefit and whether services remain functional after projects are completed.
Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oboth-Oboth has called for increased investment in renewable energy, protection of forests and wetlands, restoration of degraded land and the use of digital technologies to strengthen environmental monitoring and natural resource management.
He warned that climate-related disasters could undermine development gains if Uganda failed to strengthen its response to environmental degradation and changing weather patterns.
Oboth also criticised the tendency to discuss environmental challenges in meetings without implementing agreed interventions.
“This should not stop at conversations in boardrooms like here and meetings where we sit for hours, exchanging and consuming statistics. It should translate into actionable resolutions,” he said.
He urged leaders to balance economic ambitions with ecosystem restoration and protection, arguing that environmental conservation should be part of the country’s development strategy rather than a separate concern.
“We can never win a fight against Mother Nature,” he said, calling on Ugandans to take individual responsibility for protecting the environment through tree planting and conservation.
Ultimately, Uganda’s green economy will be judged not only by its renewable energy investments, climate policies or technological advances, but also by whether ordinary citizens can access clean water, adequate sanitation and reliable services. Sustainable transformation must improve both the environment and the lives of the people who depend on it.