The Uganda Police Force has acknowledged operational lapses during the inaugural National Cleaning Day exercise held over the weekend and pledged to review the operation while taking disciplinary action against officers who engaged in misconduct.
Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja announced the mandatory National Cleaning Day on Thursday, with implementation commencing on Saturday. Under the directive, all motorists, motorcyclists and cyclists found on the roads after 7:00 a.m. had their vehicles impounded, while others were ordered to park by the roadside until the exercise ended at 10:00 a.m.
However, videos widely circulated on social media showed police officers forcing members of the public to sweep streets and collect litter. Other clips captured officers assaulting pedestrians and motorists who were found on the roads after the designated time or attempted to evade the restrictions. The heavy-handed enforcement drew widespread public criticism.
Addressing journalists at Police Headquarters in Naguru, Police Spokesperson ACP Kituuma Rusoke described some of the incidents as regrettable, saying the affected cases had been referred to commanders for disciplinary action.
He said officers who assaulted civilians or compelled them to participate in the cleaning exercise had acted outside their mandate, noting that the role of the police was to restrict movement during the exercise rather than force people to clean.
“Aside from a few incidents on social media, like a police officer beating a man, that case has been forwarded to commanders and disciplinary action will be taken. Generally, other personnel, including the UPDF, did a tremendous job enforcing the mandatory cleaning, and people complied,” Kituuma said.
While National Cleaning Day has been widely welcomed as a positive initiative aimed at improving sanitation and public health, its first implementation exposed communication and logistical shortcomings, particularly affecting travellers, tourists and some essential service providers.
Kituuma said the police would focus on addressing mistakes made by officers during enforcement. Referring to reports of tourists who were stranded outside national game parks, he said the matter resulted from a misinterpretation of the directives by some officers and was promptly resolved.
“Regarding tourists who were stranded outside game parks, we engaged the commander in Kasese, and the tourists were cleared to proceed. This occurred because some officers had misinterpreted the directives. We should not be distracted by a single incident involving a few officers who briefly detained tourists. The matter was addressed, and the tourists continued with their travel,” Kituuma said.
Police said the inaugural exercise had provided important lessons that would be considered during a post-operation review. Kituuma noted that the review would assess the challenges encountered during enforcement and inform planning for future National Cleaning Day operations.
On arrests, vehicle impoundment and possible charges, Kituuma said the police adopted a largely preventive approach. He explained that individuals found violating the movement restrictions were stopped until the designated time elapsed before being allowed to continue with their journeys. He added that arrests would only be made where individuals became violent, resisted officers or created disturbances during enforcement.
“When you disobey the orders of a police officer, you commit an offence. Currently, there is also an executive order that bars movement from a specific time, and we will prevent you from moving. However, we shall only arrest those who become violent, cause altercations, or resist. For those, there are clear charges we can impose, and they will face the law in court,” Kituuma stated.
However, the police statement did not list private security guards and journalists among the categories of essential personnel exempted from the movement restrictions during National Cleaning Day. There were also reports that some medical personnel were prevented from travelling despite the essential nature of their duties.
But according to police, additional categories of exempted personnel will be clarified in subsequent implementation guidelines for future National Cleaning Day exercises-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
