Accountability and Delivery of Quality Water Services in Iramba and Singida Rural Districts, Tanzania

Abstract

The objective of this paper was to assess the relationship between accountability and delivery of quality water services in Iramba and Singida rural districts involving six villages. The paper used a crosssectional research design and multistage sampling. A sample of 350 households was drawn from the population by using stratified random sampling based on the location of the households within each local administrative area. Quantitative data were collected using a structured questionnaire, while qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions. The collected data were analysed using both the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16 and STATA. Ordinal logistic regression was used to establish the relationship between accountability elements and the delivery of quality water services. Based on the study, the level of delivery of quality water services in the study area is low. However, it shows a positive statistically significant relationship between accountability and delivery of quality water services. The study recommends that, for effective delivery of quality water services, local authorities and Community Owned Water Supply Organisation (COWSOs) should strengthen accountability as a means of improving delivery of quality water services.