ENFORCEMENT OF UGANDA’S NATIONAL CLEANING DAY SPURS ARRESTS OVER NO-COMPLIANCE IN ARUA CITY

Arua City Joint Security Team comprising of Uganda Police Force and UPDF during the enforcement of National Cleaning Days in Arua City on Saturday July 25, 2025.  (Photo: Onzoma Albert)

By Onzoma Albert

Arua City

The Uganda Police Force and joint security teams in Arua City strictly enforced traffic and movement restrictions during the inaugural National Cleaning Day, resulting in three arrests and the impounding of non-compliant riders.

The government instituted this mandatory monthly cleanup campaign to take place on the last Saturday of every month, encouraging public participation and ensuring safety through a nationwide three-hour traffic ban.

This ban restricted all non-essential vehicles, motorcycles, and bicycles, ordering other road users to stay off the streets and engage in community sanitation work.

Ivan James Namoma, Deputy RCC of Arua City in-charge of Arua Central Division, in the middle during the launch of the National Cleaning Exercise in Arua City at Mayors Gardens.(Photo: Onzoma Albert)

Ivan James Namoma, Deputy Resident City Commissioner of Arua City for the Central Division, confirmed the arrests to Radio Pacis. He stated that those arrested would be interrogated and educated on the significance of the National Cleaning Days, which are government-mandated three-hour sanitation directives, before being released.

“My joy was that everyone was working willingly except the few elements who wanted to sabotage the initiative which made us to cause some arrest and we have taken them to the central police station, we are going to investigate them and orient them on the importance of the nationwide exercise, since it was the starting day we never wanted to cause so many arrests but we only managed to arrest three people” he confirmed.

The cleanup in Arua City was officially launched by the Resident City Commissioner (RCC), Rt. Maj. Betty Akello Otekat, alongside local leaders, members of the public, and support organizations such as the Uganda Red Cross Society.

Security Deployment during the National Cleaning Days in Arua City. (Photo: Onzoma Albert)

Namoma, further urged the public to comply with government directives and expressed the security forces’ readiness to handle anyone sabotaging the initiative.

“My appeal to all the citizens especially in Arua city to comply with the regulations of the exercise because it brings us together, there is a patriotic saying we don’t eat to we don’t eat to stay but to work and we must work for at least four hours before going for breakfast, my caution to anyone trying to sabotage or disorganize this initiative is that the security is ready to deal with them” he added.

While many residents actively participated by cleaning public spaces, markets, and drainage channels, joint security teams comprising police and military units monitored the streets.

Motorists and individuals who defied the three-hour movement restriction by operating motorcycles or bicycles or refusing to participate faced immediate intervention.

This enforcement locally led to targeted arrests and the grounding of transport items to deter non-compliance with the National Cleaning Day regulations.