By Ben Musanje
For years, many families in Kapir Sub County, Ngora District, lived under the strain of domestic violence much of it rooted in the daily struggle for clean water.
Women and girls walked long distances to fetch water, returning late, often triggering conflict at home.
But today, a new solar-powered water project located in Atapar Village, Atapar Parish, Kapir Sub County, Ngora District, is helping to restore peace and dignity in these communities.
The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) Member of Parliament and former Woman MP for Ngora District, Hon. Jacqueline Amongin, is a native of this district.
According to Godwill Besemere Atim, the Senior Assistant Secretary of Kapir Sub County, the water project has directly reduced gender-based and domestic violence cases.
“Before this project, we had many reports of domestic violence,” Atim explained. “Women walked long distances to fetch water, which led to quarrels in homes, sometimes even physical fights, as men suspected their spouses of meeting other men under the pretext of searching for water. But now, water is nearby. Families have peace.”
Atim noted that besides improving security for women, the project has also reduced cases of illness, particularly diarrhea and typhoid, which used to strain households and local health centers.
“Now, with clean water available, our health centers have fewer cases. Girls are attending school regularly, and the burden on women has eased. We have seen a real reduction in both violence and sickness,” she added.
This initiative is part of the 450 Solar-Powered Water Supply and Irrigation Systems Project across the country, operating under a directive from H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda.
The program aims to dramatically improve agricultural productivity and access to clean water in water-stressed communities nationwide.
Jointly funded by the Government of Uganda and the Government of the United Kingdom through UK Export Finance (UKEF), with a project value of €111 million, it operates under the Ministry of Water and Environment and is implemented by Nexus Green Limited, a British renewable energy company.
The project has provided water to three parishes include Atapar, Omuria, and Anagesa, benefiting over 1,000 residents.
It serves key institutions including Kapir Sub-County Headquarters, Kapir Health Center III, Kapir Primary School, and Atapar Primary School, with 11 water distribution points established.
Charles Ebiau, LC III Chairperson of Kapir Sub County, said the clean water supply has transformed daily life and, with it, the community’s social fabric.
“When I received this opportunity from the ministry, my mind went straight to Atapar because that’s where the need was greatest,” Ebiau said. “The community and the school now have clean water. Our health centers have clean water, and both staff and patients are safer. Even our latrines are clean now.”
Ebiau added that the lack of clean water used to create tension, especially when people had to fetch water from distant sources.
“Before, people quarreled because of the long distances,” he said. “You’d find mothers late at the borehole, children missing school, and families fighting. But now, water is here. Even in our meetings, we have water available. Peace has returned.”
However, Ebiau noted that some areas, especially Agesa and Agule villages in Atapar Parish, still lack service points, making it difficult for residents there to access water.
He appealed to the Ministry of Water and Environment to extend the service to those areas.
“We appreciate the ministry, but we ask that these remaining villages also get connected so everyone can share in this peace,” he said.
Beyond reducing violence and conflict, the project has had wider benefits for community development.
“Now that people are getting water, our sub-county offices have water too, and our health workers and teachers are comfortable,” Ebiau said. “This is the first major project for my sub-county, and it has brought unity. We thank the President, the ministry, and Nexus Green for their good work.”
Benard Odeng, Chairperson of Atapar Village, echoed the same gratitude and promised that residents would safeguard the project and the peace it has brought.
“Because of this project, our homes are stable, and our people can drink clean water,” Odeng said. “We have vowed to protect these gains from President Yoweri Museveni and will show our appreciation in the 2026 elections with 85 percent support.”
Atim further revealed that another project in Amukorat, a solar irrigation system, is being rolled out to support farmers with vegetable growing and home farming.
“With irrigation, families can grow food and earn an income,” she said. “Economic stability also reduces tension and domestic violence. When families are busy and self-reliant, they live in harmony.”
From Atapar Primary School to Kapir Health Center III, the ripple effect of the water project is evident: women no longer walk in fear, girls are in school, and health workers are reporting fewer cases of both disease and domestic violence.
As Ebiau summed it up: “Now that water is here, people are living in peace. This is more than a water project, it is a peace project.” (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
