Water, Power and Access: Check Before Buying Land

Why check water, power and access before paying?

A plot with a clean title can still be expensive or impossible to use if services are far away. Power, water and a legal road decide whether you can build, rent or farm, and they change the price you should pay. These checks cost almost nothing compared with a wrong purchase, and you can do most of them on a single visit. Use them together with our land site visit checklist and the questions in 12 Questions to Ask a Land Seller Before You Pay.

Plan to ask neighbours as well as officials. People who already live nearby know whether the pole has power, whether the tap runs, and who owns the track. They also know what you do not want to hear: that the road floods or the transformer is overloaded.

How do I check power line distance?

Stand on the plot and look for the nearest pole, then count the spans between that pole and your boundary. Ask whether the line is low voltage or medium voltage and whether a transformer is close. Ask the neighbours which house is connected and how long they waited. Photograph the pole numbers so you can quote them to the utility. The nearest pole is the single most important fact, because a connection from a nearby pole is far cheaper than one that needs extra poles or a transformer.

Then ask the distribution company, Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL), what applies to that location. A news report in August 2025 said residents in a government scheme paid UGX 30,000 for an inspection of their electrical systems, down from UGX 720,000, and the Energy Minister described the connections as free apart from that fee. The scheme is funded by the World Bank under the Rural Electrification Scale-up Project (source 1). The report did not state a distance limit or conditions, so ask UEDCL whether your plot qualifies and what happens when no pole is near. Also check for lines passing over the plot: read Land Under Power Lines and Way-Leaves.

Who pays to bring power to my plot?

The report we found does not say who pays when poles or a transformer are needed, so we cannot give a figure and we will not guess one. In practice, ask UEDCL for a written quotation for your exact location before you pay the seller. If the neighbours pooled money for a transformer, ask what they paid and whether the new owner must contribute. Keep the quotation. If the seller says power is available, make it a clause in the sale agreement, so you have a remedy if it is not.

Do not forget wiring and inspection. The 2025 report shows that an inspection of the customer's electrical system is part of the process (source 1). A house with poor wiring may fail inspection and cost more to fix.

How do I check for water access?

Ask first what the water source is: a National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) main, a community tap, a borehole, a spring or rainwater. NWSC says the cost of a new connection is established after a survey of the property, so there is no fixed price you can read on a website (source 2). Apply through NWSC's online form, prepare the documents, pay at the bank, and expect the connection within about 4 to 8 weeks of payment if materials are available. For areas outside the Kampala service area NWSC lists a photocopy of the land title, a national ID, a passport photo, a letter from the LC1 chairperson and a sketch map showing the route to the property.

Ask the seller whether the plot is inside an NWSC service area. If not, ask neighbours about borehole depth and yield, and visit in the dry season, since seasonal sources can run dry. We do not give borehole costs here because we found no reliable source.

Who owns the access road?

Never assume the track to your plot is public. Ask whether it is a gazetted public road, a road shown on an approved subdivision plan, or a path across someone else's land. Under the Roads Act 2019, an access road may be built through private property only after the affected landowner is compensated (source 3), so roads cannot simply be forced across other people's plots. If the track crosses a neighbour's land, you need a written right of way, registered if possible. Our guide Access Roads and Right of Way to a Plot explains how.

Also check whether a government road is planned nearby, using Check Planned Roads and Projects Before Buying Land. A planned road can take part of the plot, or raise its value, and it can change the access you rely on.

What should I write into the agreement?

• The nearest pole, transformer and water point, named in the agreement.
• A statement of the access road, its width and who owns it, with a plan attached.
• Who pays any connection costs that arise before transfer.
• A remedy, such as a price reduction or the right to withdraw, if services are missing.

If you plan an instalment purchase, read land on installments as well. For a house, the checks differ, so use House Inspection Checklist Before You Buy. If you cannot visit, book an escorted site visit and ask the visitor to photograph the pole, the water point and the road. Then browse plot listings and compare, or return to the main guide at Land for Sale in Uganda: The Complete Buyer's Guide.

Listings available now

Live from Land & Property on 4 November 2026. Prices are the sellers' asking prices.

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Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Land Site Visit Checklist: What to Check on the Ground
• 12 Questions to Ask a Land Seller Before You Pay
• Access Roads and Right of Way to a Plot
• Land Under Power Lines and Way-Leaves
• Land for Sale in Uganda: Verified Plots and the Complete Buyer's Guide