UWASNET was founded in 2000 by the Government of Uganda through the Ministry of Water and Environment in partnership with Sector Development Partners as the umbrella organization for all Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) operating in the Water and Sanitation sub-sector.

This was as a result of a sector reform known as the Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) which brought together Government, Development Partners and CSOs together to develop, fund and implement a single development plan.