THE First Lady, Janet Museveni, is set to spearhead a countrywide campaign on sanitation.
The First Lady agreed to become a sanitation advocate during a meeting with the Sanitation Working Group at State House on Monday.
“You have my assurance that I will be there for you,” she said.
“We are working towards the same target, but we need to be serious and achieve measurable and tangible impacts.”
Mrs. Museveni was responding to an appeal by the group to become a promoter of the National Sanitation and Hygiene Campaign.
The head of the group, Sam Mutono, said poor sanitation was one of the leading causes of infant mortality.
He said for every $1 spent on proper sanitation, $23 is gained in averted illnesses, death, medical expenses and productivity increase.
The use of latrines and washing hands with soap after using a toilet contributes to better health, he added.
“In Rukungiri where the latrine coverage is 99%, households still suffer from waterborne diseases,” he said, adding that this was because washing hands was not emphasised.
He said Mrs. Museveni should mobilise resources to promote the cause.
The sanitation group comprises the ministries of health, education, water and environment. It is supported by non-governmental organisations like Water Aid, Africare, Unicef and the World Bank.
Sanitation and hygiene, which was almost 100% in the 1960s, declined to about 20% in the last two decades due to political turmoil and civil unrest of the 1970s and the early 1980s.
Good hygine has, however, increased to about 60% where it has stagnated.
“We have to go back to the basics and teach people the risks associated with poor hygiene,” said Paul Luyima, the assistant commissioner of health services in the health ministry.
“If you (Mrs. Museveni) add your voice, the situation will improve,” he said.
The team also asked Mrs. Museveni to introduce a law, which makes it mandatory for leaders at all levels to have a pit latrine in their homes.
They also asked her to deliver a letter to the President, requesting him to address the issue of sanitation in his speeches.
