NWSC's top Commercial teams commit to fully implement the new billing improvement programme to boost revenue.

According to sources from National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) billing remains the backbone of NWSC’s operations which has been proved to register improvements.  

With the launch of the new Billing Improvement and Revenue Collection Enhancement Programme (BICEP) NWSC projects to close gaps affecting commercial performance to boost revenue collection and strengthen operations and align operational targets with the Corporation’s financial sustainability goals.

During a workshop with commercial teams and top management NWSC also unveiled billing Improvement Programme Excellence Awards to recognize outstanding commercial performance across operational areas.

Area teams signed commitment agreements, pledging full implementation of BICEP II as NWSC intensifies efforts to improve revenue collection and sustain service delivery.

Guest of Honour, Deputy Managing Director for Technical Services Eng. Johnson Amayo, emphasized the importance of reducing debt age, particularly for government accounts, warning that declining billing and collections could undermine the Corporation’s wider objectives.

Director of Regional Operations, Dr. Charles Ekure, urged teams to tighten operational discipline by auditing databases, stopping billing of untraceable accounts, and benchmarking against neighbouring utilities. He also emphasized the need to strengthen billing and collections while reducing Non-Revenue Water, which he described as a major drain on the Corporation’s finances.

Senior Director of Financial Services, Dr. Charles Okuonzi, observed that although NWSC appears financially stable on paper, weaknesses in revenue collection remain a concern. He said the workshop was intended to equip teams with practical strategies to improve billing efficiency and cash inflows.

Presenting the Corporation’s performance outlook, Deputy Managing Director for Finance and Corporate Strategy, Mr. Francis Owot, said both income and production growth currently stand at three per cent. He noted that increased water production directly supports improved billing, citing completed supply projects as contributors to recent gains.

Mr. Owot said the Billing Improvement Programme is anchored in production and sales enhancement plans and called on area teams to fully implement agreed actions to achieve set targets. He added that management would continue coordinating and monitoring action plans, while providing financial support where necessary. He also confirmed the approval of several transmission main extensions aimed at improving billing performance in affected areas.

On behalf of the Commercial Directorate, Mr. Osbert Atwiine presented the bi-annual commercial performance results, highlighting both top-performing and underperforming areas.

The Billing Improvement and Revenue Collection Enhancement Programme (BICEP) was presented by Mr. Apollo Arinaitwe, who cited challenges such as slow business growth, declining revenue collection, and rising arrears as key factors affecting the Corporation’s financial health. He attributed these challenges to gaps in staff knowledge, poor data management, weak supervision, limited customer engagement, and the normalization of underperformance.

Mr. Arinaitwe reported that a three-month pilot of BICEP I, involving 20 areas that collectively billed UGX 200 million, recorded improvements in water production, billing, collections, debt age reduction, and staff morale. Notable progress was registered in Mbale, Bugiri, Kapeeka, Rushere, Masindi, and Arua.

Building on the pilot’s success, BICEP II has been rolled out to refocus teams on business fundamentals, including role clarity, operational consistency, customer focus, cash control, and data-driven decision-making.