Kampala, Uganda | URN | Kampala recorded low public participation in Saturday’s National Cleaning Day, with many residents staying indoors as Kampala Capital City Authority teams moved through some communities urging people to join the exercise.
The monthly cleaning exercise was conducted in different parts of the city, with KCCA choosing Kabaawo Zone in Mutundwe Parish, Lubaga Division, as its Kampala epicentre.
However, only a few residents initially turned up at Kabaawo, forcing KCCA enforcement teams, supported by some residents, to move from door to door, mobilising people to come out and participate.
KCCA Deputy Executive Director Benon Kigenyi, who led the exercise in Kabaawo, urged residents to take greater responsibility for maintaining hygiene in their communities instead of waiting for the authority to intervene.
The exercise found several drainage channels in the area clogged with waste, while some neighbourhoods had poor sanitation.
Kigenyi urged residents to participate in the monthly cleaning exercises, stop indiscriminate waste disposal and begin separating waste at household level.
Fatuma Nyombi, the Mutundwe Parish Woman Councillor, identified poor drainage as one of the area’s major challenges and called on KCCA to improve drainage infrastructure.
Nyombi also raised concern about poor hygiene around some homes, saying residents need to take greater responsibility for keeping their surroundings clean.
Richard Ssendikaddiwa, the LC1 Chairperson of Kabaawo Zone, said poor physical planning has made it difficult for garbage collection trucks to access some parts of the community.
He said some roads and neighbourhoods are difficult for waste collection vehicles to reach, leaving residents with limited options for disposing of their garbage.
Ssendikaddiwa also raised concerns about inadequate cesspool services for residents who need to empty their toilets.
He said the area also lacks a public toilet that could serve low-income residents.
Ssendikaddiwa attributed the low turnout partly to the nature of businesses in the area.
He said many residents operate businesses at night and sleep late, making it difficult for them to participate in the early morning cleaning exercise. However, low participation was not limited to Kabaawo.
URN observed similarly low public participation in several sampled areas of Kampala, including Lugala, Masanafu, Munaku, Kawempe and along the Northern Bypass, compared with the inaugural National Cleaning Day.
The low turnout came despite the government’s decision to make the monthly exercise part of a wider campaign to promote collective responsibility for sanitation and environmental management.
At the same time, several heaps of garbage were observed along roads in different parts of Kampala.
KCCA continued with its Bring-to-Truck campaign, through which residents are expected to bring collected waste to designated points for collection.
The continued presence of garbage and blocked drainage channels highlights the sanitation challenges facing the capital even as government seeks to encourage residents to take greater responsibility for waste management.
The National Cleaning Day is held on the last Saturday of every month as part of government efforts to improve sanitation, prevent disease and promote collective responsibility for keeping communities clean.
For Kampala, the exercise comes against a backdrop of persistent challenges involving waste disposal, blocked drainage channels and gaps in sanitation services.
