KAMPALA LEADS AS KCCA HOSTS LAUNCH OF MONTHLY NATIONAL CLEANING DAYS

Kampala on Saturday became the main center of a nationwide initiative to improve sanitation as Vice President Jessica Alupo joined hundreds of residents in Kisenyi to launch Uganda's National Cleaning Days, a Cabinet-approved initiative that will be observed on the last Saturday of every month.

Armed with brooms, hoes, wheelbarrows and shovels instead of speeches and ceremony, residents, local leaders and government officials swept streets, desilted drainage channels, collected litter and loaded heaps of waste onto waiting trucks in a three-hour exercise that was replicated across the country.

The launch, held at Kiti Zone in Kisenyi III Parish, Kampala Central Division, was conducted under the national theme, "A Clean Uganda is Everybody's Responsibility." 

The monthly programme requires Ugandans to dedicate three hours on the last Saturday of every month to cleaning their communities as part of the Government's drive to strengthen preventive healthcare through improved sanitation and hygiene.

Representing President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the National Lead Champion of the initiative, Vice President Alupo said Uganda's fight against preventable diseases begins with keeping homes, markets, schools, health facilities and public spaces clean.

"Keeping our environment clean is one of the simplest but most effective forms of preventive healthcare. Diseases such as cholera, typhoid and diarrhoea thrive where hygiene is neglected. This initiative reminds us that every Ugandan has a role to play in protecting public health," Alupo said.

She noted that Cabinet adopted National Cleaning Days as a government policy to encourage collective action in improving sanitation across the country.

"Government will continue investing in roads, drainage and waste management infrastructure, but infrastructure alone cannot keep Uganda clean. That responsibility belongs to every citizen."

Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja described the initiative as the beginning of a long-term behavioural change campaign rather than a one-off clean-up exercise.

"A clean environment reflects a disciplined society. We want every district, every parish and every village to embrace this initiative because cleanliness is everyone's responsibility. Government alone cannot sweep every street or unclog every drainage channel," Nabbanja said.

She applauded Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) for its community-led sanitation through its weekly Weyonje campaign, saying the National Cleaning Days initiative builds on an approach that has already delivered results in the capital.

Across Kampala, residents participated simultaneously in all five city divisions.

The main launch took place in Kiti Zone, Kisenyi III Parish, while similar clean-up exercises were held in Lubuga Rajab and Kyeyune Zones in Makindye Division, Kasenyi Zone in Nakawa Division, St Francis Zone in Kawempe Division and Kigaga Zone in Lubaga Division.

The activities included sweeping roads, litter picking, unclogging drainage channels, waste collection and evacuation, tree planting and community sensitisation on sanitation, hygiene and proper waste management.

KCCA Executive Director Hajjat Sharifah Buzeki said Kampala was proud to host the national launch, noting that the city had already cultivated a culture of community participation through the Authority's weekly Weyonje clean-up campaign.

"For Kampala, today's launch is a natural progression of the work we have been doing through Weyonje. Every week, residents, businesses, schools and community groups have been working alongside KCCA to keep the city clean. National Cleaning Days now provide an opportunity to scale that spirit of collective responsibility across Uganda."

Buzeki encouraged residents to go beyond the monthly exercise and embrace cleanliness as part of everyday life.

"A clean Kampala cannot be achieved by KCCA alone. It starts with every resident disposing of waste responsibly, protecting drainage channels and taking pride in their surroundings. Sustainable cleanliness begins with individual behaviour."

Throughout the morning, KCCA workers and residents worked side by side clearing drainage channels clogged with plastic waste, sweeping roads and loading tonnes of collected garbage onto trucks for safe disposal.

Business owners temporarily suspended their operations to participate in the exercise, while health workers used the opportunity to sensitise communities on the link between poor sanitation and diseases associated with unhygienic environments.

By the end of the exercise, several streets in Kisenyi had been transformed, with cleaner walkways, free-flowing drainage channels and piles of waste evacuated.

Officials expressed optimism that with the last Saturday of every month now designated as National Cleaning Day, Uganda will nurture a lasting culture of cleanliness, strengthen preventive healthcare and inspire communities to take greater responsibility for protecting the environment every day.

By Geofrey Mutegeki Araali 

Communication and Media Relations Officer