Public Utilities Minister Emmanual Goerge told reporters Thursday that this may involve reducing the large workforce at the public utility.
George noted that the WASA staff increase by more than 2,800 since the year 2000 and now stands at 4,800.
He said the additional staff did not add value to WASA. "You had approximately 2,800 persons put into the utility and you had no improvement in the water supply to the population over that period," the minister stated. "One wonders what that extra 2,800 people were brought into WASA to do,” he added.
He did not say how many of the workers will be sent home. “Well, it is a restructuring, and it may well result in a reduction in the labour force.” George said. He added that since 2010, when he spoke about restructuring nobody has been laid off at WASA. "I never said that we are going to lay them off," he said.
However he made it clear that in any restructuring "one expects that there could be some reduction of the numbers".
He said the National Water and Sewerage Company of Uganda will conduct the restructuring exercise, which is expected to address how WASA does its business to make it operate more effectively in supplying water. That exercise, he said, could be completed by August or September.
George said at that time the Government would have to decide whether to accept the recommendations. He did not say how much it would cost for the restructuring. WASA currently receives a state subsidy of more than $1 billion annually.
The minister also announced on Thursday that that Cabinet has approved a 100 per cent increase in the annual subsidy for pensioners and people receiving public assistance under the Utility Assistance Programme (UAP). That programme helps pay their water and electricity bills for nearly 11,000 people.
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