Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL) has officially commissioned nine community boreholes—five in Kumi District and four in Apac District—marking a major milestone in the company’s ongoing commitment to water stewardship and community development.
The project will provide clean, safe water access to more than 5,000 residents across the two districts. In Kumi, the new boreholes will benefit Apuda, Kabwangasi, Kapasak, Oseera, and Acera villages, while in Apac District, residents of Ayago Central, Amitenge/Omele, Iwal Village, and Baralop Cell will benefit.
The commissioning ceremony, held at Kapasak Village in Ongino Sub-County, reflects UBL’s continued investment in water replenishment initiatives under its Water for Life sustainability pillar.
The project addresses critical challenges in communities where residents have been walking an average of 3.5 kilometers to access the nearest water sources.
“Water is our most important ingredient, but it is also a precious shared resource that is coming under increasing pressure across the country,” said Sheila Sabune, UBL’s Corporate Relations Director.
“Through our Water for Life program, we are not just fulfilling our commitment to replenish the water we use in our brewing process, but we are also addressing a fundamental human need that impacts education, health, and economic opportunities for entire communities,” she added.
The initiative specifically targets water-stressed areas where the burden of water collection disproportionately falls on women and children.
“This project represents more than infrastructure development; it’s about breaking cycles of poverty and inequality. When women and children no longer have to spend hours fetching water, girls can stay in school, mothers can engage in income-generating activities, and families can focus on building better futures. We have invested over shs 5 billion in similar projects over the past five years because we believe access to clean water is fundamental to thriving communities,” Sabune noted.
In Kumi District, water scarcity has had severe consequences, including high school absenteeism and dropout rates, as well as increased cases of waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery, and typhoid.
Speaking at the event, Opolot Okaasai , the MP for Kumi and Minister of State for Energy, praised the project’s transformative impact.
“Before these water sources were established, our women and children would wake up very early to walk long distances in search of water, often returning with water that was not even safe for drinking. Today, our children can focus on their education, and our women can engage in productive activities that improve household livelihoods,” he said.
Alongside the borehole commissioning, UBL also distributed farming inputs—including gumboots, tarpaulins, and 1,200 kilograms of quality sorghum seeds—to 200 local farmers. This demonstrates the company’s integrated approach to community development: supporting the agricultural value chain that supplies sorghum for its brewing operations while addressing wider community needs.
For more than a decade, UBL has consistently invested at least shs 1 billion annually in water projects across water-stressed areas.
The Kumi and Apac water initiatives are aligned with Uganda’s national water access targets, set by the Ministry of Water and Environment, which aim to ensure that every citizen can access water sources within a one-kilometer radius.