Ugandans are expected to come out with brooms, hoes, spades and other cleaning tools on Saturday as the country holds its second National Cleaning Day.
Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, in a statement to journalists and the public on Thursday has urged Ugandans to leave their homes and join the three-hour nationwide clean-up aimed at clearing garbage and restoring cleanliness in communities.
The exercise will run from 7am to 10am on Saturday, August 29. And Nabbanja is not just sending Ugandans to clean , she says she will be on the ground herself.
The national cleaning exercise will be centered at Lwere Primary School in Kyaliwajjala, Kira Municipality, Wakiso District, where the Prime Minister says she will arrive by 7am.
“Cleaning our country is a patriotic duty for every Ugandan and we should take pride in keeping our environment clean,” Nabbanja said.
She said a dirty environment is not simply an eyesore but a threat to the health and wellbeing of communities. “A clean environment is essential for health and well-being of our communities,” she said
The Minister further called on Ugandans to help keep the country free from garbage.
“Let us keep Uganda free from all kinds of garbage, for good and for my country. I’m accompanying here my boss, the Prime Minister of Uganda, acknowledging everybody for the cleanup of our city, our Uganda,” she noted
The Prime Minister wants Ugandans to participate from wherever they live rather than wait for the national event to come to their neighbourhood.
Communities are expected to clean their streets, homes, public spaces and other surroundings as part of the nationwide campaign.
The government hopes the exercise will also encourage Ugandans to make cleanliness a daily responsibility instead of waiting for designated cleaning days.
Hon Sam Engola, Minister for Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, accompanying the Prime Minister’s campaign said he would lead activities in Lango Sub-region, with March Health Centre IV in Lira District serving as her focal point.
He said the aim is to use the health facility to demonstrate that cleanliness must begin in institutions that serve the public.
“I will be in Lango in Lira District in March Health Centre IV to show the people that we must make the health centre clean and the sub-county clean,” he said.
She also called on residents to join the exercise in their own communities. “I want to call upon everybody to come or be in their area and clean. I’ll supervise from 7 to 10 o’clock,” she said.
But she is not planning to remain at one location.
She said she will move through five sub-counties to inspect the cleaning activities and encourage residents to keep their communities clean. “I’ll pass all the five sub-counties to check how they’re cleaning up the sub-counties and Lango sub-region,” she said.
From 7am to 10am on August 29, Ugandans are expected to put aside the usual routine and take part in the national exercise.
The bigger message from government is that the clean-up should not end when the three-hour exercise ends.
The National Cleaning Day is being positioned as a reminder that keeping Uganda clean should become a daily habit, not something reserved for one Saturday every month.
