Jinja city benefits from army community service

UPDF | TAREHE | SITA

JINJA - The Uganda People’s Defence Officers (UPDF) from Gadaffi Barracks in Jinja city, have cleaned up Jinja central and Napier markets as they celebrate their 42nd Terahe Sita anniversary.

The officers also cleaned up Jinja Regional Referral Hospital and Jinja Main Street in Jinja city to demonstrate to the users that they have to work from clean and hygienic surroundings.

Gadaffi Barracks cantonment commander Col. Robert Rutainama, who led the Thursday exercise, said while launching the UPDF Army Week at Napier Market in Jinja city that they are working closely with civilians as they remember the heroes who started the war to liberate the country from bad leadership and dictatorship.

“We are working closely with the communities because we need to demonstrate to them the need for working and having treatment in the clean surrounding to avoid more diseases,” he said.

Rutainama said working with local leaders was aimed at gaining a good working relationship with civilians since they as soldiers have children, wives, friends and relatives.  

An officer carries rubbish after cleaning Jinja Regional Referral Hospital. (All Photos by Doreen Musingo)

Lawrence Ssemaganda, the chairperson of Alidina, said their main challenge was still garbage collection and management where people just dump garbage on the streets and walkways yet there are gazetted areas.

Ssemaganda, a market vendor at Jinja Central Market and also in charge of collecting garbage, said the one truck for transporting garbage to the landfill in Masese is inadequate.

“People dump garbage along the streets, while others don’t sort it, which makes it hard for us during collection. As leaders at villages have gazetted points for dumping garbage, we ask our top leaders to come up with bylaws to deter those involved in the acts,” Ssemaganda said.

He called for the sensitisation of surrounding communities, including Napier Markets, taxi and bus parks with residents who dump garbage at the Jinja Central Market on how to manage garbage by sorting the decomposing from non-decomposing materials.

Jinja Regional Referral Hospital administrator Aspa Mugabi said they have a challenge managing domestic garbage from patients’ attendants since they have a limited budget to cater for hospital waste.

“Our hospital garbage is collected daily by a private contractor, however, the patients' attendants disposing of their garbage is a major challenge because they tend to mix it with hospital waste,” he said.

After the cleaning exercise, the UPDF officers headed for St James Church where they were led through a church service by assistant vicar Rev Emmanuel Mugabi, who prayed for peace in the country.