Influence of urbanization on performance of public utilities: a case of national water and sewerage corporation in lira municipality, Uganda

Abstract

The study sought to investigate the influence of urbanization on the pe1formance of NWSC in LMC with objectives to establish the relationship between urbanization and performance, to establish the challenges faced by NWSC as a result of urbanization, and to develop a framework for efficient delivery of services in LMC. Qualitative, quantitative approaches and interview, survey and document review methods were employed. A case study design and a model were applied to achieve the objectives. 384 participants were targeted and 381 responded. From the study findings, there was a significant positive correlation (rho = .487) between urban growth and development and Service delivery by NWSC. It is shown that the significance of the correlation (p = .000) is less than the recommended critical significance at 0.05, thus not rejected. It was also established that discriminatory urban planning with a mean of 3.50, lack of political will with a mean of 3.66, unplanned water supply with mean score of 3.46 were the most silent challenges faced by NWSC in the performance of her duties. Policy reform and water contamination fetched low mean score of 2.93 and 3.29 and constituted the least challenges that affect NWSC. The multiple regression model with all four predictors produced R2R2 =0.463, F (6, 92) = 4.176, p < 0. OOI .The research findings indicated that there was a strong positive relationship (R= 0.214) between the variables. The study also revealed that 46.3% of the NWSC performance factors can be explained by the independent variables. The municipality ought to expedite the planning process so as to ensure settlement and housing projects are setup with minimal interference on utility and other access lines which will enable service providers have a manageable operational cost. Key words: Urbanization; Performance, Public Utilities