BUSHENYI, March 8, 2026 – Bushenyi District Local Government recently launched a mandatory monthly community cleaning day in fulfilment of a government directive aimed at enforcing nationwide sanitation standards.
The initiative follows a September 2025 Government Gazette that declared the last Saturday of every month as National Cleanup Day. Under this mandate, all citizens are required to participate in community cleaning activities between 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., during which time businesses are expected to remain closed.
The official district launch, presided over by the Resident District Commissioner [RDC] Bushenyi, Emmy Ngabirano, was held at Kabingo Trading Centre in Kyamuhunga Subcounty. The exercise drew participation from the Deputy RDC, local community members, and school-going children.
Enforcing hygiene
The Ministry of Local Government recently instructed all Chief Administrative Officers [CAOs] and Town Clerks to implement the directive in order to curb preventable diseases and improve environmental sanitation, a model successfully utilised in neighbouring countries such as Rwanda.
Jafari Basajabalaba, the Bushenyi District LC V Chairman, noted that the campaign is a vital step towards improving sanitation and restoring the district’s cleanness.
“In the past, Bushenyi was renowned as a clean model district. We want to regain that lost glory through this monthly cleaning campaign,” Basajabalaba said.
While acknowledging a modest start, he remained optimistic about future participation.
“Being the first time, the turnout was low, but we believe that as we continue monthly, the public will get used to it, join in, and comply,” he added.
Youth brought on board
The launch featured performances and poems from local pupils highlighting the devastating effects of climate change and environmental degradation. The children pointed to illegal human activities such as deforestation, charcoal burning and wetland encroachment as major causes of drying water sources and the death of livestock.
The pupils challenged leaders and the public to take environmental protection seriously, citing a lack of sensitisation and corruption as barriers to progress.
“All that is happening is caused by a lack of sensitisation and politicians who do not prioritise the environment,” the pupils said in their collective presentation.
They urged the district to embrace “good agricultural practices, afforestation and proper waste sorting,” while calling for an end to the excessive use of harmful agri-chemicals.
A strategic link to health and wealth
The campaign is being implemented under the theme: “Strengthening our communities to enhance household income through reduction of catastrophic health expenditure caused by preventable diseases by embracing proper sanitation and hygiene.”
Local authorities emphasised that the programme, supported by the National Environment Management Authority [NEMA], is mandatory. Supervised by local leaders, the clean-up exercises will focus on markets, homes and hospitals.
Officials warned that enforcement measures and possible penalties will be applied to those who fail to participate during the designated four-hour window each month.
As the campaign takes root, Bushenyi leaders hope that consistent community action will not only beautify the district but also significantly reduce health-related expenditure linked to sanitation-related illnesses.
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