We are not ready for cleaning day - Lord Mayor Balimwezo

Kampala Lord Mayor Eng Ronald Balimwezo has warned that Uganda may not be fully prepared for the national cleaning day, as the initiative risks creating more waste management challenges if it is not properly planned.

The nationwide cleaning exercise is being held today, July 25, 2026, following a government directive aimed at promoting a cleaner environment, improving public health and reducing diseases associated with poor sanitation.

The Uganda Police Force announced that the exercise will run from 7:00am to 10:00am, with restrictions on the movement of vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles and vessels during the activity, except for exempted services.

However, Balimwezo said the country should have first prepared a clear implementation plan before rolling out the exercise.

He said the idea of a cleaning campaign was initially proposed by Kampala authorities but was meant to be driven by citizens through consultations with stakeholders.

“This idea of cleaning initially came from us but we had hoped it would be people-led. We thought of holding a stakeholders engagement of all people in Kampala where this initiative would come from with the input of the people rather than forcing it on them,” he said.

“Then we would discuss implementation and preparation with a proper workplan. Such a presidential directive should not be implemented haphazardly, which seems to be the case here and we may now have a big problem,” he said.

The Lord Mayor in an interview, questioned how the country would manage the waste collected during the exercise without enough trucks and disposal facilities.

“How will you clean up the entire nation when you don't even have trucks to carry away the collected garbage? In some places we don't even have where to put this garbage,” he said.

Balimwezo cited Wakiso District as an example, saying it does not have a designated dumping site and relies on the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) waste disposal facilities.

Kampala itself, according to the Lord Mayor, already faces a waste collection gap, with the city generating about 3,200 tonnes of garbage daily but only having the capacity to collect about 770 tonnes.

“The rest is either burnt or remains untouched,” he said.

He warned that the cleaning exercise could increase the amount of uncollected waste if authorities fail to provide proper disposal arrangements.

“Now, people are going to collect even much more garbage and place it along the roads. What if it rains? We should have prepared better. We were not ready,” Balimwezo said.