Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has designated Lira City as the national site for Uganda’s fourth National Cleaning Day on Saturday, October 31, 2026, while directing communities across the country to participate in simultaneous sanitation activities.
The exercise will run from 7am to 10am, with public officials expected to join residents at the main cleanup site in Lira. However, Nabbanja said the designation of Lira as the national venue does not exempt other districts and urban centres from participating.
“Public officials will join residents at the main cleanup site in Lira City, but we are all urged to participate in cleaning activities in our respective communities across the country,” the Office of the Prime Minister said in a statement shared on X.
Nabbanja announced the plans during a press briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister in Kampala on Tuesday, October 27.
She said the exercise was intended to improve sanitation, protect the environment, prevent disease and promote responsible waste management, urging Ugandans to treat cleanliness as a shared responsibility rather than a once-a-month activity.
“Seventy percent of the disease burden in this country is preventable. That’s why we came up with the National Cleaning Day programme,” Nabbanja said, according to a statement shared by the Office of the Prime Minister.
Lira was selected as the national host in recognition of its role as one of the cities expected to host matches during the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), according to the information provided by the Prime Minister’s office.
The government says the nationwide exercise should involve every district, city, municipality, town council, sub-county, parish and village.
Priority areas include roadsides, public walkways, markets, trading centres, drainage channels, schools, health facilities, residential neighbourhoods and workplaces.
The Prime Minister also called on resident district commissioners, mayors, local council leaders, religious and cultural institutions, businesses, schools and households to mobilise people and lead by example.
Government warns against poor waste disposal
Nabbanja expressed concern that garbage continues to accumulate in some areas despite previous cleaning exercises, calling on local governments to strengthen supervision and ensure that collected waste is properly disposed of.
She directed local authorities to provide the equipment and logistical support needed for the exercise, including protective gear, trucks, wheelbarrows and fuel.
The government also warned against illegal dumping or moving rubbish from one location to another without ensuring proper disposal.
Residents were encouraged to separate waste, with the Prime Minister noting that sorting recyclable materials could create income-generating opportunities.
The exercise is part of a monthly programme held on the last Saturday of each month. Previous editions took place in Kampala on July 25, Wakiso on August 29 and Hoima on September 26, 2026.
Nabbanja thanked the individuals, institutions, local leaders, security agencies and community groups that participated in the earlier exercises, and urged them to sustain their involvement.
During the three-hour cleaning window, non-essential movement by vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians is restricted under the programme’s arrangements. Exemptions apply to essential services and specified categories, including garbage collection vehicles, ambulances and other medical services, security personnel, foreign tourists, diplomats, health workers and people with documented international travel arrangements.
The government says National Cleaning Day is intended to build lasting habits of cleanliness and proper waste management, rather than provide a temporary response to visible rubbish.
The campaign is being promoted under the message: “A Clean Uganda is Everybody’s Responsibility.”