ARUA CITY JOINS NATIONAL CLEANING DAY

Arua City RCC Rt Maj Betty Akello Otekat, holding spade during the launch of National Cleaning Day at Mayors Gardens in Arua City on Saturday July 25, 2025 (Photo: Onzoma Albert)

By Onzoma Albert

Arua City

Arua City today joined other local governments nationwide in observing the newly declared National Cleaning Days, in line with the government-mandated three-hour sanitation directive. The initiative requires a city-wide clean-up lasting exactly three hours, from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM, on the last Saturday of every month.

During this time, local streets were cleared of traffic, all private businesses closed, and non-essential vehicle travel, including motorcycles, was strictly prohibited. Only essential and emergency vehicles such as ambulances, police, and fire services were allowed on the roads.

Arua City residents cleaning one of the road reserves on avenue road. (Photo: Onzoma Albert)

At the launch of the National Cleaning Days in Arua City, Rt Maj Betty Akello Otekat, Resident City Commissioner, explained that the initiative adopts a whole of government and whole of society approach and aims to empower communities to recognize their primary role in maintaining their health by addressing social determinants of health.

“When we maintain our environment clean then mean that we shall be clean health wise because it is always good to prevent diseases that than treating them because it costs a lot to treat diseases, I therefore want to call upon all the stakeholders to be active next month during the national cleaning day and let us not disrespect the directives issued” she said.

Students of Mvara SS in Arua City cleaning hospital road (Photo: Onzoma Albert)

Herbert Odama, Vendors chairman of Arua Main Market, praised the government for this initiative, expressing belief that it will promote cleanliness nationwide and urging all Ugandans to embrace it.

“We want to appreciate this initiative brought by the government of Uganda to conduct nationwide clean-up exercise, for us since market is our home we also participated in the exercise to make sure that our vendors and customers live in a clean environment and most importantly let us make sure our surrounding is always clean right from home up where we work” he said.

Similarly, Sylvia Cynthia Asianzu, Female Councilor of Mvara Ward, thanked the government and encouraged the public to adopt the practice, while appealing for continued government support.

“I want to encourage the public especially women to further take this initiative outside and to not only stop at home, let us come out and clean Uganda together because having a clean environment is our responsibility as citizens and I am appealing to the government to make sure this initiative continues and becomes the new normal in Uganda” she said.

Avenue road in Arua City after the national cleaning day. (Photo: Onzoma Albert)

The National Cleaning Days will be conducted every last Saturday of the month, starting at 7:00 AM, involving everyone living in Uganda at all levels.

The Office of the Prime Minister coordinates the initiative, working closely with the Ministry of Health as the lead technical ministry, the Ministry of Water and Environment, Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development, Ministry of Education and Sports, Ministry of Defense and Veteran Affairs, Ministry of Internal Affairs, among others.

The Cabinet-approved implementation framework assigning accountability to local accounting officers and town clerks, who are responsible for integrating these monthly clean-up activities into their existing operational budgets.

This approach promotes sustainability and ensures that the initiative is embedded within local government structures.