Uganda clears draft agreement on Angololo project

River Malaba will be dammed to create a reservoir to hold water for irrigation, generate electricity and water for domestic use

Eng. Martin Okirya, a water resources expert with the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Plan (NELSAP), told this writer in a phonecall that the relevant agencies such as Ministries of Foreign affairs, Finance and the Attorney General, have all given the go-ahead to the bi-lateral agreement that was recently negotiated by Ministry of Water from Uganda and Kenya.

Eng. Okirya observed that what remains is for Kenya to conclude its approval process to allow the two relevant ministers to sign the bi-lateral agreement.

He expressed hope that as soon as Kenya gets through with its approval process, an agreement would be signed, ‘hopefully around August or September’.

NELSAP, the investment arm of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) for the Nile Equatorial Lakes region, oversaw feasibility studies for the project.

The signing of a bilateral agreement on sharing of the benefits from this cross-border scheme is considered by experts as the only remaining obstacle to the development of the project.

Eng. Isaac Alukwe, the NELSAP Coordinator, revealed in an interview with this writer that different funders including the African Development Bank (AfDB) had expressed interest in financing the project because of its projected high rate of return on investment.

Asked what would happen if Kenya makes changes to the draft, Eng. Okirya said the changes would be communicated and reviewed not only by Ugandan authorities but also other member countries of the Nile Basin.

Angololo multipurpose irrigation scheme planned to be located across the Uganda-Kenya border on river Malaba, is one of the three trans-boundary schemes that have been earmarked and promoted by the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI).

The project will have three main sections; irrigation, hydro-power generation and water supply to the nearby communities.

With the construction of a dam reservoir, the project is planned to generate up to 2 Mega Watts of hydroelectrical power that would be shared by both countries.

Further, the water works project that will support irrigation and water for domestic use, are projected to reach an estimated 300,000 people that badly need water.

The development of such trans-boundary water resources is considered to be a major step in achieving cooperation not only between the two countries but also among the rest of the member countries of the Nile Basin.

As earlier revealed by Engineer Okirya, in the spirit of cooperation, all member countries of the Nile Basin, are given a chance to review such an agreement, to ensure it does not adversely affect their interests.

Eng. Alukwe revealed also that such trans-boundary projects are more attractive to funders than if one country goes it alone.

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