By MWE (Communications Unit)–Mwanza, Tanzania.
The Government of Uganda has called upon Development Partners and East African Community (EAC) member states to shift from fragmented, short-term interventions in favour of massive, long-term regional investments programmes to save the rapidly degrading Lake Victoria Basin.
Delivering a keynote address at the Development Partners Round Table during the inaugural Regional Lake Victoria Day in Mwanza, Tanzania, today, May 20, 2026, Dr. Alfred Okot Okidi warned that Africa’s largest freshwater lake is under immense pressure.
Dr. Okidi travelled with a Ministry team comprising Eng. Sowed Sewagudde, the Commissioner for International Transboundary Water Affairs (ITWA), and representatives from other line departments.
He noted that despite directly supporting an estimated 55 million people and over 200,000 fishers across the region, the lake is heavily threatened by environmental degradation, rapid urbanization, inadequate infrastructure, and climate change.
"The central message today is simple: Lake Victoria is too important to East Africa’s future to be managed through fragmented, short-term and underfunded interventions," Dr. Okidi said.
He painted a grim picture of the sanitation crisis around the water body, revealing that urban centres around the lake are expanding rapidly while wastewater treatment systems lag severely behind.
"It is estimated that more than 70% of wastewater generated within the Basin is discharged into the environment untreated or only partially treated," Dr. Okidi warned. He added that plastic pollution, industrial effluents, and agricultural runoff are leading to dangerous algal blooms and the rapid degradation of aquatic ecosystems.
Beyond pollution, Dr. Okidi highlighted the devastating impacts of climate change and population growth, which currently stands at 3% annually in the basin. He recalled the 2021 historical high-water levels that triggered widespread flooding, displacing thousands of people and destroying critical infrastructure across Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
Funding deficit
While acknowledging the support of various development partners, the Permanent Secretary stressed that current financial commitments remain a drop in the ocean compared to the multi-billion-dollar needs of the basin.
He cited previous and ongoing initiatives, such as the US$210 million Lake Victoria Environmental Management Programme II (LVEMP II) and a recently accessed US$15.29 million through climate finance windows, describing them as "modest" in the face of the region's challenges.
According to the Government, the most urgent financing requirements lie in wastewater and sanitation infrastructure, pollution control, wetland restoration, climate resilience, and sustainable fisheries.
To bridge this gap, Dr. Okidi outlined Uganda’s three core requests to development partners. First, he appealed for predictable institutional support for the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) to coordinate basin-wide planning.
Second, he called for the establishment of a dedicated project preparation facility to convert priority concepts into bankable investments.
Finally, he sought heavy financing for a long-term regional investment programme covering pollution control, the blue economy, and early warning systems.
Maritime safety and new technologies
The Permanent Secretary also expressed grave concern over safety on the lake, observing that thousands of people lose their lives annually to drowning across Lake Victoria and the wider Nile systems. To combat this, he lauded the establishment of the Regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, describing it as a major milestone toward improving emergency response.
The Mwanza event, held under the theme “Shared Waters, Shared Future: Uniting for a Sustainable Lake Victoria Basin,” also featured the technical release of the
Lake Victoria Basin Water Information System. The new digital system is designed to strengthen hydrological monitoring, transboundary data sharing, and evidence-based decision-making among EAC Partner States.
Concluding his address, Dr. Okidi reminded delegates that the future of the Lake Victoria Basin is inseparable from the future of the East African Community.
"Let this inaugural Regional Lake Victoria Day mark a turning point — from fragmented interventions to coordinated investment; from short-term projects to long-term resilience; and from shared risks to shared prosperity," Dr. Okidi urged.
This high-level forum has brought together EAC Partner States representatives, regional and international partners (UNDP, World Bank, African Development Bank, European Union, German Government(BMZ), SIDA, JICA, FAO and others). Officials from other East African Community (EAC) member states at the round table also threw their weight behind Uganda's proposals.