Depersonalized prepayment technology with a service provider: the communities’ choice for the sustainable management of handpumps in Gomba District, Uganda

Presenting communities with a technology and management system is deeply engrained in the African rural water sector, where implementing agents view communities as beneficiaries, not co-designers of projects. The purpose of this article is to understand why communities are rarely consulted, what their preferences would be and the sustainability implications. Five management models were presented to 375 participants across 12 communities in Gomba District, Uganda. Prepayment technology with a third-party service provider was the communities’ choice, with 85% support. Trust in who oversees and manages the collected user fees suggests a potential role of non-governmental organizations as water service providers.