By Aggrey Baba
Despite three rounds of the government’s National Cleaning Day campaign, garbage remains a concern in most parts of the country, forcing Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja to direct local authorities to strengthen sanitation supervision and ensure waste is removed promptly this time around.
In a statement ahead of the fourth national exercise scheduled for Saturday, October 31, Nabbanja acknowledged improvements in cleanliness since the programme began but admitted that the continued presence of rubbish in some areas remained a challenge.
Her directive puts local governments and relevant institutions under renewed pressure to improve waste collection, enforce sanitation measures and ensure that garbage is properly disposed of.
Nabbanja said authorities must provide cleaning equipment, protective gear, waste collection trucks, wheelbarrows, fuel and other logistical support required to implement the exercise.
She also warned against simply shifting the problem from one place to another, directing those conducting the exercise to ensure collected waste reaches approved disposal or treatment facilities instead of being dumped in other public spaces.
Roadsides, markets, trading centres, drainage channels, schools, health facilities and residential neighbourhoods have been identified among the priority areas where people dump the garbage.
The Prime Minister called on businesses, civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations to support the exercise with cleaning equipment and materials.
The fourth National Cleaning Day will run from 7am to 10am countrywide, with Lira City hosting the national event this time.
Nabbanja said the campaign must go beyond the removal of existing waste and encourage the people of Uganda to change their everyday disposal habits.
The government’s ultimate ambition is to make cleanliness a permanent national responsibility rather than an activity confined to three hours on the last Saturday of every month. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
