Residents of Ayivu Division in Arua City have urged the division council to formulate and enforce a bylaw to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of the monthly nationwide cleaning exercise.
The residents and business community joined leaders of Ayivu Division in a four-hour cleaning exercise that started at the division headquarters and extended along major streets, with road users also taking part in the activity.
Jane Draru, a vendor at Onduparaka Market who mobilized fellow vendors to participate in the exercise, commended government for the initiative, saying that it would help to improve sanitation across the country if consistently implemented.
Draru explained that poor waste management is having a negative impact on the community, particularly by reducing soil fertility and crop yields when polythene bags and plastic waste are wrongly disposed and end up in gardens and water sources.
“I thank the government so much for this initiative and it is my first time of seeing something like this happening,” Draru said. “It is a very good initiative because rubbish like polythene bags affects our environment, especially our gardens, where it reduces soil fertility, that is why we welcome this!”
Adalafu Ward Councillor, Gift Ayikobua, expressed happiness that members of the public responded positively to the mobilization they carried out as leaders following directive from the government.
He noted that enacting a bylaw to have the initiative owned and be part of division will help to improve sanitation and public health would be an important step toward ensuring its sustainability.
The Deputy Mayor of Ayivu Joseph Afeti agrees that a bylaw would contribute to sustainability of the initiative by providing guidelines for its regular implementation and helping to ensure its success.
By 7:00a.m, all major roads in Arua City leading to the town centre and other urban areas were all temporarily closed as joint security personnel manned the key areas to ensure compliance with this exercise and encourage road users to participate.
While announcing the initiative, Uganda’s Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja, said that the exercise will be conducted every month as part of a nationwide campaign aimed at encouraging every Ugandan to play an active role in keeping their communities clean, healthy and safe.
However, the Deputy Resident City Commissioner in charge of Ayivu Division, Mbigiti Godfrey Johah, remains hopeful that the monthly nationwide cleaning exercise will help to address poor waste management challenges if the community continues to support the initiative.
The Ministry of Health reports that nearly 75 percent of Uganda’s disease burden is preventable, as poor sanitation and environmental hygiene contributing significantly to illnesses such as malaria, diarrhoeal diseases and typhoid.
Most of these diseases, according to the ministry, can easily be prevented if community members maintain proper hygiene and regularly keep their surroundings clean-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
