KAMPALA: Capacity building has always been the cornerstone of growth for individuals and organizations alike. The Kampala Water region, in collaboration with the VSDF, has undertaken a commendable journey to empower its non-technical staff. Kampala Water, responsible for a substantial 60% of the corporation’s revenue, operates across 30 branches, spanning four zones and encompassing over 200 territories. This extensive reach has mandated the need to equip non-technical field staff with the skills to monitor operations, tackle non-revenue water challenges, and elevate customer-centric services.
The primary objective of this training initiative is to empower non-technical staff to multitask effectively and handle essential troubleshooting tasks. These tasks encompass reducing response times for minor leaks, expediting customer connections post-payment, facilitating reconnections, and executing efficient disconnections. Eng. Mahmood Lutaaya, the General Manager, highlighted the training’s significance and urged participants to maintain high standards, even as team leaders undergo their own training.
Mrs. Joyce Bakiire, Senior Manager of Training and Capacity Development, elucidated the department’s role in conducting training programs for both NWSC staff and external entities. The focus remains on multi-skilling the workforce to combat non-revenue water (NRW) and enhance response efficiency. In her closing remarks, Mrs. Bakiire emphasized the training’s purpose: fostering a mindset change and promoting vocational skills that boost employability.
The Adviser to the Training and Capacity Development department, Mrs. Christine Amucu, underscored the training’s value in helping department heads assess staff performance. She encouraged participants to seize this opportunity to acquire additional skills to thrive in a continuously evolving work environment.
The Training Modules include; Streamlining the New Water Connection Process, and Mastering Leak and Burst Repairs.
Module I: Streamlining the New Water Connection Process; Mr. Efearel Solomon expertly guided participants through the intricacies of establishing a new water connection. The process includes marketing water services to potential customers, handling customer applications and document submission, generating application forms and job cards, conducting a comprehensive survey at the customer’s premises, estimating costs, generating payment vouchers, managing customer declarations and payments, confirming payments in the system, procuring necessary materials following prescribed procedures, and executing on-ground customer connections while updating the billing system.
The survey process takes into account crucial factors such as GPS location, block maps, accessibility, past connections, materials required, connection size, tariff rates, potential challenges, and materials for new connections.
Module II: Mastering Leak and Burst Repairs; This module delves into the significance of promptly addressing leaks and bursts within a water utility. Swift actions mitigate NRW-related costs, prevent contamination, and tackle infrastructure erosion. The systematic repair procedure was explained in detail, covering identification, assignment, isolation, material procurement, repair execution, and system closure.
Throughout the training, participants gained hands-on experience in establishing new water connections and effectively repairing the water distribution network, including addressing leaks and bursts.
By equipping its workforce with the knowledge and capabilities needed to excel, Kampala Water is not only safeguarding its position as a major revenue contributor but also ensuring the continued satisfaction of its customers and the efficient operation of its extensive network, as the training modules provide a roadmap for success, ensuring that every drop counts and every customer is served with excellence.
