The Water and Sanitation Corporation (WASAC) has committed to deliver on a stalled $440 million (approx. Rwf454.4 billion) multi-project programme.

The plan, dubbed Rwanda Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation Programme (RSWSSP), was first rolled out in 2017 with a target of benefiting at least 5.4 million people.

It was due to end in June 2023.

Officials from the utility body made the pledge Tuesday while appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) as part of the ongoing public hearings related to the findings contained in the Auditor General’s report of 2020/21.

According to the AG report, only 19 per cent of the funds earmarked for the project had been absorbed by the time of the audit. The funds had been acquired in the form of a loan.

This means that 82 per cent ($356 million, or about Rwf367.6 billion) of the funds had not been used by mid last year, more than half into the initial duration of the programme.

According to agreements signed between the Government and the funders, failure to fully absorb the funds attracted a charge.

Delays explained

Gisele Umuhumuza, the acting chief executive at WASAC, said there are over 20 projects to be implemented under the programme.

These include construction of water treatment plants, water supply systems, and sanitation projects. They include 16 water supply projects and four sanitation schemes.

Regarding the water supply projects, one component was to get a contractor to ‘design and immediately build’ and expedite the project's execution, she said.

"This phase was fast-tracked because six of seven projects covering 979 kilometres were delivered in secondary cities while the execution of another project with 568 kilometres in Kigali is at 74 per cent,” Umuhumuza told PAC members.

However, she explained that the execution of another component comprising eight projects (for construction of water treatment plants across the country) was not using the ‘design and build approach’, which normally expedites execution as advised by the African Development Bank. "This means execution was delayed because we had to start with feasibility studies and designs before procuring a contractor to build.”

Studies were to be conducted within 12 months but the deadline was missed, which further delayed works.

"When experts reached the field, we could not immediately agree on what we wanted,” Umuhumuza noted.

Xavier Rwibasira, the project coordinator at WASAC, explained that after the AG’s office audits, WASAC addressed some of the challenges as advised by the Auditor General.

He said execution had since reached 35 per cent and they hope to reach about 50 per cent by January next year.

"We faced challenges in the implementation,” he admitted. "Reference check and due diligence in the procurement process played a role in the delays because we wanted to get contractors who could deliver.”

He also blamed requirement for a non-objection approval from the funders and the Covid-19 pandemic for slowing the programme.

Auditor General weighs in

However, speaking during the public hearing, Auditor General Alex Kamuhire told PAC members that the delays were caused by WASAC’s bureaucracy, including procurement processes.

"Procurement processes took 544 days. If these internal issues are not addressed, the project will never be delivered. Procurement processes should be revised,” the Auditor General said.

Meanwhile, Umuhumuza said they had agreed with the funders the programme would be extended by two years, meaning it would run through the fiscal year 2025/2026.

On the sanitation component, PAC members heard that there were also significant delays in the construction of the proposed Kigali Centralised Sewerage System.

Completion date had been extended to June 2023 but WASAC was still conducting the procurement process by March 2022, the committee heard.

Equally, construction of the proposed Faecal Sludge Treatment Plants and landfill in four satellite cities had slowed down.

It was noted that construction projects, which should have been completed by June 2020 or December 2021, had not even started or stalled despite availability of funds.