By Olivia Nabaggala
The Mayor of Makindye Division, Yasin Omar, has called for the resignation of ministers residing in the division who failed to participate in the mandatory general cleaning exercise.
The nationwide exercise was officially launched on Saturday in Kisenyi, Central Division, by Vice President Maj. (Rtd.) Jessica Alupo, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, and other government ministers. During the launch, Nabbanja announced that every Ugandan, except security personnel on duty, will participate in a general cleaning exercise on the last Saturday of every month.
In Makindye Division, Mayor Omar led the exercise as the division’s Chief Cleaner, overseeing activities in Lubuga, Kajabu, and Kyeyune zones in Kibuli Parish. He urged residents to embrace the initiative and consistently take part in the monthly exercise.
However, the mayor expressed disappointment that ministers who reside in Makindye did not participate.
“More than eight ministers live within Makindye Division, but none of them was seen taking part in today’s exercise. Residents will see this as unfair. In some countries, when a minister fails to comply with a government directive, they are dismissed. I appeal to the President to look into this matter,” Omar said.
He described the cleaning exercise as a positive initiative aimed at improving sanitation but urged the government to make adequate preparations before future exercises. He recommended allocating at least one garbage truck to every parish to ensure that waste collected by residents is promptly transported to designated disposal sites.
Omar also defended residents of informal settlements who dispose of garbage in drainage channels, arguing that they should not be blamed because many communities lack gazetted dumping sites and garbage collection services are often delayed.
By the time this story was filed, garbage trucks had begun collecting waste gathered by residents during the exercise, including debris removed from drainage channels.
Some residents of Lubuga welcomed the monthly cleaning initiative but appealed to the government to increase garbage collection in slum areas to at least once a week in order to improve sanitation and public health.
The next nationwide general cleaning exercise is scheduled for the last Saturday of August 2026.
