Updating the District Implementation Manual: an experiment

Published on: 22/02/2015

This experiment aimed to contribute to better coordination and harmonisation of roles and operations of district-level WASH actors, and to better enforcement of policies and guidelines for decentralised WASH service delivery. Seeking to foster standardisation, harmonisation and coordination of rural water service delivery, in 2007 Uganda’s Ministry of Water and Environment produced the District Implementation Manual (DIM). Intended for WASH sector stakeholders at decentralised levels, the manual sets out the sector’s policy and institutional environment, describes stakeholders’ roles and recommends approaches for harmonised strategies. In 2011, however, an IRCc/Triple-S assessment found that the manual’s effectiveness was hampered by poor distribution, an unfriendly format and outdated information.

The Ministry of Water and Environment agreed to spearhead a revision effort and established a steering committee with representatives from the ministry, technical support units, local governments (district water officers from Jinja and Masaka districts) and NGOs (CRS, WaterAid and UWASNET). This experiment consisted of a review and updating of the manual and development of a new distribution and promotion strategy based on market research. A simplified version of the manual was developed for sub-county and district WASH practitioners and service users, with spin off products in seven languages.

Updating the DIM involved various stakeholder consultations, but was not done in experimental mode, it is however included as one of the experiments undertaken as part of Triple-S to improve rural water service delivery. The Ministry of Water and Environment has taken full ownership of the process of future review and updating the manual and its related tools and guidelines in order to improve harmonisation and coordination in the sector.

Who was involved?

• Secretariat of IRC/Triple-S Uganda and Ministry of Water and Environment steering committee.
• Consultant contracted to do the review and updating
• National level: Directorate of Water Development; Ministry of Health, Environmental Health Division; Ministry of Local Government; Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development
• District level: district water officers and assistant officers, district health officers, district health inspectors, district health educators, community development officers, district education officers, district planners, district water and sanitation coordination committees, secretaries for health and social services in Rukungiri, Kasese, Mukono, Napak, Kumi and Oyam districts
• Sub-county level: subcounty chiefs, community development officers and assistants, health assistants, subcounty secretaries for health and social services
• Community level: water user committees in selected villages
• NGOs: UWASNET, Water Aid, NETWAS, Plan Uganda , Oxfam, AMREF, Action Aid, UWASNET regional coordinators, ACORD, Uganda Red Cross, International Rescue Committee
• Private sector: selected contractors in sample districts, spare parts distributors, hand pump mechanics and their associations, associations of private water operators
• Development partners: UNICEF, Danida, WSP/WB, ADA

 For more information

• Contact Jane Nabunnya Mulumba, IRC/Triple-S Country Coordinator