The government has warned the public against storing household garbage for weeks to dispose of it during the monthly National Cleaning Day, saying the practice is overwhelming waste collection services and leaving rubbish piled along roadsides.
Dr Herbert Nabaasa, the Ministry of Health’s Commissioner for Environmental Health, said the monthly exercise was intended to promote regular cleaning in homes and communities, not to provide a single day for disposing of waste accumulated throughout the month.
Speaking during a review meeting ahead of the October cleaning exercise, Nabaasa said the government had decided that National Cleaning Days would not have a dedicated budget. Communities, institutions and local authorities are expected to take responsibility for keeping their surroundings clean.
Nabaasa said the amount of garbage presented for collection on cleaning days had exceeded what authorities could handle. He said the public should use designated waste collection points throughout the month rather than wait for the monthly exercise.
The government launched National Cleaning Days on July 25, with activities planned for the last Saturday of every month.
The initiative encourages the public to clean homes, workplaces and public spaces as part of efforts to improve sanitation.
Ahead of the second cleaning day in August, Kampala Capital City Authority added ten trucks to its waste collection fleet, bringing the total to 126.
Despite the increase, Nabaasa said waste collectors were facing a heavier workload than anticipated.
Cate Namyalo, a senior environmental officer at the Ministry of Health, said the first cleaning exercise attracted strong public participation across the country, but this was not sustained. During the most recent exercise on September 27, she said, many people remained indoors.
Namyalo added that some people who turned up to clean left piles of domestic waste along roadsides, where they remained for extended periods before authorities collected them.
The ministry had established a reporting system to monitor how local governments were implementing the initiative.
However, Namyalo said many local governments had not submitted reports, making it difficult to assess progress and identify areas requiring improvement.
Nabaasa said local governments already had designated garbage collection points that residents should use. He said the government was also considering longer-term waste disposal options, including landfills.
Robert Kasule Sebunya, head of the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister, criticised people who stay indoors until the cleaning exercise ends.
He said this suggested that some communities had not understood the importance of regular cleaning. Sebunya said basic hygiene measures were important in preventing disease.
Officials from Kampala Capital City Authority and waste collection companies attending the review meeting called for a specific law to guide National Cleaning Days. Nabaasa disagreed, saying existing laws, including the Public Health Act, the National Environment Act and the Constitution, provide a sufficient legal basis for the initiative.
He said an instrument to guide the exercise had been approved by the Solicitor General and was awaiting the minister’s signature. The October National Cleaning Day’s main event is scheduled to take place in Lira City-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
