Development and regulatory challenges in water services to the urban poor: Examples from Uganda and Tanzania

Safe and sufficient drinking water is still not a matter to be taken for-granted all over the world. In developing countries, the provision of safe drinking water still remains a daunting task. Urban Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) provision has continued to present significant performance challenges, especially to the urban poor communities. This paper uses examples from Uganda and Tanzania to explore five distinct areas that need to be addressed in order to enhance services to the urban poor. These include: customer accountability, environmental protection investment efficiencies, pro-poor managerial arrangements and cost recovery challenges. We suggest that regulators and/or oversight bodies need to design their activities to optimise these processes as part of efforts to strengthen pro-poor services.