NELSAP-CU together with its project national stakeholders from Kenya and Uganda recently officially launched the USD 1.65 million Angololo Water Resources Development Project that is being funded by the African Development Bank – AfDB to the tune of USD 1.5 million while the Republics of Kenya and Uganda equally contributed USD 150,000. The event was held on 17th July 2019. In attendance were H.E the Governor of Busia, Kenya Hon. Sospeter Ojaamong and the Director of Water Resources of Uganda Ms Florence Adongo, representing the Minister for Water and Environment, Hon. Sam Cheptoris.
The Angololo project will contribute towards increased irrigated agriculture. It is targeting to irrigate 3,300 ha of land (1,180 ha in Kenya and 2,120 ha in Uganda) when fully developed, supply water to 20,000 people and generate 1.75MW of hydro power. The project also includes an upstream integrated watershed management of about 430 km2. The project is expected to benefit at least 127,300 people from Tororo, Manafwa, and Namisindwa districts in Eastern Uganda and Busia and Bungoma Counties in Kenya through employment creation, irrigated agriculture, piped water supply, hydro power generation, and livestock and fisheries production. Angololo project is one of the trans-boundary projects identified under the NELSAP-CU Sio-Malaba/Malakisi River Basin Management Project and approved during the 18th Nile Equatorial Lakes Council of Ministers (NELCOM) meeting held in Entebbe, Uganda on 13th October 2015 and was included into the African Development Bank (AfDB) pipeline (IOP) for the year 2016 - 18 to seek possible funding support. Kenya and Uganda formally requested NELSAP-CU to integrate it into its pipeline of a number of natural resources projects for further appraising and development. NELSAP-CU/NBI was mandated in the signed MOU between Uganda and Kenya to support in mobilization of resources for preparation of the investment project. NELSAP-CU approached AfDB Eastern Africa Regional Centre (EARC) for funding to undertake preparation studies.
NELSAP-CU is now undertaking preparatory work, which involves conducting full feasibility study, conceptual and detailed designs, preparing tender documents, conducting social and environmental impact assessment (ESIA) developing a resettlement and compensation action plan (RCAP) and project implementation preparation, in order to secure the financing required to implement the project. The project has been rated as a priority in the AfDB– NEPAD IPPF indicative project pipeline (2016- 2020) and the countries ADF-14 Programming Cycle. This phase of the project will be implemented over a duration of 24 months and it will enhance cooperation between Kenya and Uganda as they jointly develop water resources of Malaba River. Prior to this stage, NELSAP-CU with grant from the Royal Government of Sweden and the Royal Government of Norway undertook the Angololo pre-feasibility in 2010.