Efficacy of private operators in managing water supply public-private partnership: A case study of Tororo Railway gravity flow scheme

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to assess the efficacy of the private operators in managing water schemes in Uganda. Tororo Gravity water scheme was the case study. The objectives of the study were to; To find out whether the private operators are efficient in handling the scope of operation for Gravity flow schemes; To determine the hindrances faced by private operators in managing gravity flow schemes and; To explore opportunities for private operators to improve service. The study involved staff and management of private water operators as well as water users. The participants were selected using stratified and then simple random sampling techniques. The data were collected using questionnaires and analyzed using frequency percentage and descriptive statistics. Study findings indicated that the private operators were inefficient. For example, the scope of utilization of resources, financial and human alike was sub optimal. The private operators too had management weaknesses. For example, they lacked internal controls and reports on their performance and yet these are critical in steering the competitive performance of an enterprise. The study concluded that much as the enterprises were credited by water users for their excellence in service provision on some occasions, there however numerous technical and managerial flaws that ought to be addressed. The study recommended the need for training the staff of the private water enterprises and development of action plans as a working tool for assessing the performance of the enterprises. This will materialize only when the District Local Government management emphasizes performance reporting of the private enterprise run projects.