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Uganda has announced that all eligible citizens will be required to participate in a nationwide community clean-up on the last Saturday of every month or face legal action.
The first National Cleaning Day will take place on Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. local time, with security personnel deployed to enforce compliance.
The initiative is to tackle the country’s growing waste management challenges, particularly in the capital, Kampala, where authorities say only about half of the 2,000 to 2,500 tonnes of solid waste generated daily is properly collected and disposed of.
Government spokesperson Dennis Patrick Katungi said the exercise is compulsory for Ugandans between the ages of 18 and 65, while older residents may participate voluntarily. Parents are also encouraged to involve their teenage children.
“Those above 65 and willing to participate are also welcome, and parents are also free to involve their teenage children,” Katungi said.
Businesses nationwide will remain closed during the clean-up, while movement of vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles and watercraft will be restricted except in emergency situations, according to the Uganda Police.
“All vehicles, vessels motorcycles and bicycles shall not be allowed on the road and water bodies except in emergency situations,” the Ugandan police said.
Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja described participation as a civic responsibility rather than a choice, warning that anyone who fails to comply without justification would face enforcement measures.
She added that foreign nationals living in Uganda are also expected to take part in the exercise.
Uganda joins neighbouring Rwanda and Burundi, where similar monthly community service programmes have been in place for years. Rwanda introduced its mandatory clean-up exercise in 2007, while Burundi launched a nationwide community development programme in 2006.
