Rubaga residents dedicate cleanup day to unity, Patriotism

KAMPALA - Residents of Rubaga in Kampala on Saturday heeded the Government’s directive to clean their communities under the Mass Countrywide Cleanup Exercise.

As early as 6:30am, children, youth, women and men of all ages were seen sweeping streets, clearing water trenches and tidying homesteads with energy and unity.
Kosovo, Busega Central C, Kigaga, Nabisasiro, Zone 8 and Kitunzi, attracted the biggest numbers.

In some areas, mobilisation was led by local leaders and Village Health Team members who moved door to door urging residents to join the activity.

Alex Ssempijja, of Zone 8, described the cleanup as a timely government initiative that was once active years ago but later abandoned.

In some areas, mobilisation was led by local leaders and Village Health Team members who moved door to door urging residents to join the activity. (All Photos by Lawrence Mulondo)

“People are cleaning their areas without being forced. The exercise has also created a bond among residents,” he remarked.

Gertrude Mbalire, a teacher at Mackay Primary School who supervised pupils to clean around the school compound, said such activities should be used to instil discipline among the youth.

“These children must learn to love their country. They should know that cleaning is part of their lives, not only for their bodies but also for the environment in which they live,” she said.

“This is their home, their motherland. There is no reason why they should keep referring to it as a dirty place,” she added.

Health, hygiene and missed connections

Isaiah Bwanika of Kigaga Zone said the monthly exercise has helped residents who rarely meet because of work schedules to know one another.

“Some of us leave early for work and return late. People don’t see us. This exercise has helped us meet our neighbours, and it should be sustained,” he said. “It is also a form of physical exercise. Many of us have spent months without exercising our bodies.”

To John Bosco Wasswa, the Chairperson of Busega Central C, the exercise reflects the true meaning of what we mean by patriotism and self-care .

“In the ghettos, diseases like diarrhoea and typhoid have been disturbing people because of poor hygiene. This is an opportunity to defeat disease,” he said.

Noting that many residents cannot afford the shs10,000 charged by private garbage collection companies, he said the mandatory cleaning is an opportunity to evacuate waste.

Calls for law and change of day

Sadic Kabanda, also of Busega Central C, suggested that the cleanup be backed by a parliamentary act so that those who abscond can be held accountable.

He further asked that the day be changed from Saturday to Monday or Tuesday to allow members of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, who hold prayers on Saturday, to participate.

As the exercise continued, some residents expressed concern over whether all the heaps of garbage collected and placed by roadsides and in front of trading centres would be picked up to prevent the spread of disease.

By press time, workers from Nabugabo Garbage Company had arrived in areas such as Kigaga Zone to collect the garbage.