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By Ben Musanje
In the once-parched lands of Atoroma, where prayers once echoed from nearly empty pews, the sound of splashing water now signals a rebirth of faith, health and hope.
Families, who had abandoned church services to scour the dusty plains for a single jerrycan of water, are streaming back, this time, to worship in gratitude.
This dramatic turnaround follows the government’s rollout of a €111m solar-powered water supply and irrigation project, a Presidential directive by H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni aimed at transforming agriculture and ensuring clean water access for millions of Ugandans.
The ambitious initiative, implemented by the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE) at the instigation of the President (funded by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, and executed by Nexus Green Limited, which is a British renewable energy firm), is already changing lives among one of Uganda’s most water-stressed communities.
Set to deliver 450 solar-powered water systems by December 2025, the project is jointly being funded by the Government of Uganda and the United Kingdom’s UK Export Finance (UKEF).
Its mission is to empower farmers, secure food production and uplift rural livelihoods through sustainable water access.
From Empty Pews to Overflowing Congregations: When Reverend Canon Julius Ariko first arrived at Toroma Parish in 2020, the situation was dire. “Even the clergy had to miss church to look for water,” he recalled, his voice heavy with memory. “We couldn’t even host visitors, there was no water for them to bathe and sometimes even we couldn’t shower.”
But that despair is now history. With the arrival of clean tap water delivered through the MWE’s Umbrella Water Department, life at the church and among the larger community members has been transformed.
“Believers are returning. Services are full again,” Rev. Ariko joyfully said during a monitoring tour undertaken by officials from the MWE in Kampala and Nexus Green, which was contracted to implement the intervention on behalf of the Luzira-based Ministry. “Water has restored not only our hygiene but our faith.”
Atoroma Primary School, situated nearby, has also been impacted and subsequently become a symbol of revival. Headteacher John Titus Otim recounted how children once fought daily over scarce water supplies. “They used to walk three kilometres for water, missing classes and coming back exhausted,” he said. “Now, they fetch water right here and classroom attendance has soared to nearly 1,900 pupils!”
He vividly remembers days when cholera, coughs and diarrhea spread like wildfire through the school. “Children were too dirty for even us teachers to sit next to them and hunger made learning impossible,” he said. “But today, our pupils come clean, focused and ready to learn.”
Health and Hope Restored: At Toroma Health Centre IV, Health Inspector Jacqueline Ibiara painted an equally striking before-and-after picture. “Before, we could only operate half a day. By 4 p.m., the taps ran dry,” she said. “Even patients had to carry their own water.”
The consequences were heartbreaking: widespread illness, absentee staff, and even domestic strife as families quarrelled over long hours spent at distant wells.
Now, the story is different. The facility serves over 2,000 outpatients and 500 in-patients every month and the taps run all day. “Clean water has revived our health system,” Ibiara affirmed. “We are saving lives and marriages.”
A Community Reborn: In Ocilakwny village, elder Silver Kedi Obetel reflected on the quiet miracle transforming his once-desolate homeland. “We were less than 500 people,” he said. “Now, families are returning. The land is alive again.”
For Samuel Oyo, Deputy Manager for the Eastern Umbrella of Water and Sanitation, this is only the beginning. “Our commitment is clear, every Ugandan who applies for water will be served,” he promised.
The Ripple Effect of Change: From churches to schools to hospitals, clean water has become the lifeblood of transformation in Atoroma. Where despair once ruled, joy now flows freely, powered by sunlight, faith, and the unwavering commitment of those determined to bring prosperity to every corner of Uganda.
As Reverend Ariko puts it simply, “Water has done what sermons could not, it brought our people back to God.” (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
