Government Introduces National Cleaning Days

 September 27, 2025   |    15 views

KAMPALA, Friday, September 26, 2025 – The Government of Uganda, through the Ministry of Local Government has  introduced National Cleaning Days (NCDs) as a national programme to improve public health, strengthen environmental stewardship, enhance social inclusion, and boost productivity across communities.

The exercise will be held on the last Saturday of every month, following a Cabinet directive requiring all Ministries, Departments, Agencies, and Local Governments to integrate NCDs into their plans and budgets.

The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has pledged its full support to the newly launched National Cleaning Days (NCDs), with the Executive Director, Dr. Barirega Akankwasah, urging staff and all Ugandans to actively participate in this nationwide initiative.

NEMA welcomes the initiative as a timely and strategic intervention that directly contributes to environmental cleanliness, waste management, sanitation, water safety, and hygiene promotion – core areas of the Authority’s mandate of ensuring a clean, healthy, and productive environment.

The Authority will, therefore, collaborate with Local Governments, Civil Society, Development Partners, and communities to ensure the success of the programme.
The NCDs align seamlessly with NEMA’s ongoing Yonja Uganda campaign, which has already covered Kalungu, Masaka, Namawojjolo, Mbale and Tororo. Through Yonja Uganda, NEMA has raised awareness about litter and waste problems in both urban and rural areas, encouraged citizens to adopt sustainable practices such as sorting waste and reducing plastic use, strengthened public participation in cleaning efforts, and promoted the “polluter pays” principle through enforcement of legal provisions and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).

Dr. Akankwasah emphasised that the NCDs will significantly contribute to the outcomes of Pillar 4 of the Parish Development Model.


NEMA calls upon all Ugandans to embrace NCDs as a collective responsibility, noting that the exercise is not only about cleaning the environment but also about safeguarding public health, building resilience, and fostering national productivity.