key skills:
- WASH sustainability
- WASH system strengthening
- Capacity building (district and community level)
- Sanitation
- Water Resources Management
- Environmental impact assessment and planning
languages:
- English
- French
- Kinyarwanda
- Swahili
Bruce Uwonkunda WASH Sustainability Manager - Rwanda
Bruce is a water resources expert with 10 years of experience in government regulations and policy reforms in the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector in Rwanda. Before joining Water For People, Bruce worked for both the Ministry of Infrastructure (MINIFRA) and the Water and Sanitation Corporation (WASAC), the implementing arm of government policy and projects. At WASAC, he coordinated and supervised all aspects of water supply projects, supported the development of action plans for the WASH sector, and ensured environmental safety and compliance of WASAC projects at the national level. Bruce also supported the development of the national monitoring and information system for WASH in Rwanda. Bruce’s extensive experience with the Rwandan national government and its regulations and procedures gives him a platform to advocate for necessary reforms and ability to navigate through the appropriate channels of a complex system.
Bruce joined Water For People in September 2015, where he works to coordinate sustainability interventions to make sure they can be replicated countrywide. Since 2015, he has worked with three districts in Rwanda to ensure sustainability of WASH facilities. This includes building the capacity of the district to improve WASH planning through a full life cycle approach using different tools such as the CapManEx Costing Tool, Direct Support Tool, District Capacity Assessment, AtWhatCost Model, and the Full Life Cycle Costing Tool as well as working at the national level to ensure appropriate policies and financial strategies are in place. This capacity-building has been extended to five more districts under the District Wide Approach as a pilot phase and next steps will be to roll out this process in all the districts of the country.
He has a master’s degree in Water Resources and Environmental Management and a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Chemistry from the National University of Rwanda. He also earned an advanced diploma in Hydraulic Engineering in River Basins from the Hydraulic Research Institute in Egypt.