STAKEHOLDERS IN WEST NILE WELCOME LAUNCH OF NATIONAL CLEANING DAYS

By Onzoma Albert

Arua City

The Environment officers and the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) have welcomed the newly mandated National Cleaning Days (NACDs) initiative.

This policy, officially launched via Cabinet Circular No. 1 of 2026 by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, mandates all citizens, businesses, and institutions to participate in nationwide community cleanup activities. These activities are scheduled for the last Saturday of every month, running from 7:00 am. to 10:00 am.

During these three hours, all businesses must close, and non-essential vehicle and pedestrian movements are strictly prohibited. The Uganda Police Force will enforce these restrictions to ensure compliance on the roads. The official launch is set for Saturday, July 25, 2026, with Vice President Jessica Alupo leading the event in Kisenyi, Kampala.

Hanninton Adronzi, Arua District Environment Officer, welcomed the initiative, emphasizing its potential to address uncontrolled littering, especially in urban centers and districts lacking designated landfill sites.

“That will be a healthy idea because if you look at our trading and urban centers they are really polluted with waste, like for the case of Arua district we don’t have a designated waste handling plant or landfill it makes it hard to contain waste especially plastic wastes that can easily be recycled but other forms of waste are very hard to manage, otherwise if the initiative is launched and rolled out to all urban centers and local governments according to me it will help greatly” he said.

Environment and health officers see the initiative as a vital structural response to Uganda’s escalating waste management crisis. In Kampala alone, residents generate between 2,000 and 2,500 tons of solid waste daily, with only about 50-60% being safely collected and disposed of.

Favorite Edeti, Arua City Environment Officer attached to Ayivu Division, also supported the idea, urging the public and institutions to embrace the cleaning days and calling for stricter enforcement from authorities to ensure the program’s success.

“According to me the initiative is a good one and I want to urge our community members particularly from Arua city to embrace this exercise because it’s for their good because it benefits them not any other person, it will also help in curbing littering in the homes and communities which will in turn help to reduce the risk of communicable diseases as well” he said.

The initiative aims to reduce uncollected waste blocking drainage channels, minimizing urban flooding and environmental pollution. It also helps eliminate mosquito breeding sites, lowering the incidence of preventable diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and malaria.

According to the Ministry of Health, poor sanitation contributes to the tragic loss of about three children daily in Uganda. Additionally, the program is expected to foster long-term behavioral change towards hygiene and environmental stewardship, taking inspiration from regional models like Rwanda’s Umuganda.

Prime Minister Nabbanja categorized the initiative as “an order, not a voluntary exercise,” underscoring its official and mandatory nature.

Since it originates from an official Cabinet Circular, local governments and law enforcement agencies have the authority to treat non-compliance as violations of public health and environmental laws.

The Uganda Police Force has committed to strictly enforce restrictions and will use force if necessary against violators. Businesses operating between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. on designated Saturdays will face immediate closure and penalties by local councils. Only emergency vehicles, such as ambulances, fire services, and security trucks, will be permitted on the roads during this period.