In May 2021 our Company was contracted by the Office of the Prime Minister to conduct an Evaluation of Water for Production Programme in Karamoja Sub-Region

Project background and Rationale

The project was implemented with the aim of increasing access to water for production as one of the key components of affirmative action plans developed by the government of Uganda to improve the economic well-being of households in Karamoja. Under this intervention, the Office of the Prime Minister [OPM] provided resources for the construction of water valley tanks using government-owned equipment deployed in the region by the Ministry of Water and Environment [MWE] to optimize the available resources. As a result of the programme, 89 valley tanks were constructed by the Ministry of Water and Environment with funding from the Office of the Prime Minister to increase access to water for production in the Karamoja sub-region.

 Purpose of the Evaluation

The purpose of our assignment was to undertake an evaluation of the water for production programme with a view of establishing its relevance, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability. The evaluation was expected to establish the extent to which the overall programme goal and specific objectives were achieved, identify the current implementation challenges, and make recommendations on any possible adjustment in the current implementation strategy.

Scope of Work

The evaluation covered the period starting July 2011 to June 2021 during which the project was implemented. Furthermore, it geographically covered all districts of the Karamoja sub-region, including; Abim, Amudat, Kaabong, Karenga, Kotido, Moroto, Nabilatuk, Nakapiripirit, and Napak. A representative sample of the beneficiaries and officials was considered to participate in the evaluation from the various districts.

Methodological design and approach

The consultant adopted a mixed methods approach using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The quantitative component included sampling focusing on the project stakeholders comprising both purposive and random sampling. For primary data, four main tools were used; individual survey questionnaires, key informants’ interview [KII] guides, observation checklist and focus group discussion guides [FGDs]. The approach was structured in the following four phases: (i) the Preparatory phase; (ii) Implementation/ data collection; (iii) Reporting (Data entry, analysis, and synthesis of information); and (iv) Utilization.