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Ishinde water gap: Why some residents are still missing out

7 mins read

Ishinde water gap: Why some residents are still missing out

Habari za Dharura

October 27, 2026 Admin0

Same. More than Sh300 billion is being spent to expand water access across Kilimanjaro and Tanga. But in Same District’s Ishinde Village, some residents are still waiting for the reliable water supply the investment was meant to deliver.

The disparity raises a critical question: why has a major public investment not translated into equal access for all residents of Ishinde?

The Water Supply and Sanitation Act, 2019, establishes every person’s right to efficient, effective and sustainable water supply and sanitation services. The law also assigns the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA) responsibility for overseeing the development and sustainable management of rural water and sanitation projects, including their planning, design, construction and management.

Ishinde has five hamlets — Ishinde Stand, Kibaoni Igongo, Kigogo, Kisakeni and Morondwe. While Kibaoni has relatively reliable supplies, residents in Morondwe, Kigogo, Kisakeni and parts of Ishinde Stand continue to report shortages, forcing some households to depend on boreholes, solar-powered systems and purchased water.

The situation raises questions about how the project was planned, why some areas remain outside the network and what is being done to close the gaps.

A project worth billions

The over Sh300 billion Same–Mwanga–Korogwe Water Supply Project, launched in March last year is designed to supply 103 million litres of water per day upon its completion and it is expected to serve 450,000 people by 2-38 9n Kilimanjaro and Tanga regions,. Its first phase currently supplies water to about 100,000 people. The government is currently collecting funds for phase two to continue

Despite the investment, some Ishinde residents still experience shortages lasting several days.

The situation is particularly striking because Ishinde was eventually brought into the first phase after the government directed officials to include villages along the central area between Same and Mwanga.

The Same–Mwanga–Korogwe Water Supply Project engineer, Mr Emmanuel Maghembe, told The Citizen that Ishinde had initially not been included in the first phase. The government later directed that villages in the area be incorporated into the project.

He said the government’s decision to use internally generated revenue to extend water services meant that villages along the central area between Same and Mwanga would not be left out.

Mr Maghembe said Morondwe was in the Ishenge area, which is among those included in the second phase and that preliminary implementation had already started.

A water source, but not a solution

In Morondwe, the government has drilled a borehole and installed a solar-powered pumping system. But the infrastructure has not translated into household connections.

Former Morondwe Hamlet leader Emmanuel Mshana said residents still collect water from the borehole and then pay to transport it home.

“The government has drilled the borehole, but residents still have to find their own way of getting the water home. Sometimes the cost of transporting the water is higher than the cost of the water itself,” he said.

The problem becomes more severe when there is insufficient sunshine to power the system.

Mr Mshana said residents had repeatedly received assurances that water access would improve, but some commitments had not been fulfilled.

He said the Same–Mwanga–Korogwe project had also not yet reached Morondwe, despite earlier expectations that the hamlet would benefit from the wider network.

“The government needs to complete the infrastructure required to bring water closer to people’s homes. That would reduce the cost of transporting water and allow residents to spend more time on income-generating activities,” he said.

The situation raises a broader accountability question: when infrastructure has been provided but the intended service remains unreliable, which institution is responsible for completing the connection and ensuring the investment delivers its intended benefit?

What the government says

The Ministry of Water says it is aware that parts of the country remain underserved and has set a target of achieving nationwide access to clean and safe water by 2030.

Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Water, Ms Mwajuma Waziri, said 10,758 of Tanzania’s 12,333 villages had been reached with water services, leaving 1,575 yet to be covered.

“Tanzania has set a 2030 deadline to extend clean and safe water services to the remaining 1,575 villages that are yet to be reached,” she said.

Ms Waziri said implementation would be carried out in phases beginning in the 2026/27 financial year, with RUWASA involved in delivering the programme.

The government says the approach is intended to progressively reach all the remaining villages by 2030 while improving public health and supporting economic activities.

But Ishinde presents a more complex accountability question. The village is not simply waiting for a new project to arrive. A major water project is already operating in the surrounding area but the question is why the investment has not yet translated into reliable access for all five hamlets.

What the water authority says

The Same Water Supply and Sanitation Authority (SAMWASA) engineer, Mr Seleman Nungu, said providing water to Ishinde had always been part of the plan.

“We have surveyed Ishinde Village and have been working to ensure that the project caters for all residents by the time the second phase of the project ends,” he said.

The response provides an indication of the intended solution, but it also leaves important questions about timing and implementation.

Residents need to know when the underserved hamlets will be connected, what infrastructure remains to be built, how much it will cost and which institution is responsible for completing the work.

Ishinde’s experience highlights a broader challenge in measuring progress in water service delivery.

The government has a legal framework, a national target and a multibillion-shilling project aimed at expanding access.

But residents’ experience suggests that accountability cannot end with the construction of a borehole, installation of a pump or inclusion of a village in a project plan.

It should also examine whether the water is sufficient, reliable and accessible to the people the infrastructure was intended to serve.

In Ishinde, some residents still depend on a solar-powered borehole that can struggle when sunshine is inadequate. Others pay to transport water from distant sources, while some households remain outside the existing network. The result is that residents continue to bear the financial and social cost of a service they are legally entitled to receive.

The government says the second phase of the Same–Mwanga–Korogwe project will address areas that remain underserved.

But with some residents still relying on alternative sources and paying additional costs to obtain water, the central issue is no longer simply whether Ishinde has been included in a major water project.

It is whether the project is reaching the people it is intended to serve.

For residents, the unanswered questions are increasingly specific: when will the underserved hamlets be connected? What infrastructure remains to be built? How much will it cost? Which institution is responsible for completing the work? And what mechanisms exist to ensure that the promised expansion actually takes place?

After more than 17 years of waiting, residents need more than assurances. They need a clear timeline, a functioning water system and accountability for the gap between the investment made and the service delivered.

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