The Minister for Local Government, Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi, on Saturday joined hundreds of residents in the National Clean-Up Exercise, using the occasion to address long-standing sanitation and service delivery challenges in Fort Portal City.
The minister arrived at Mpanga Market at 7:30 a.m. before leading the clean-up team to Kabundaire Market, where he encountered large heaps of uncollected garbage.
Concerned by the poor state of sanitation, Balaam immediately directed city authorities to deploy all available waste management equipment from both Fort Portal City and Kabarole District to clear the accumulated waste without delay. He instructed officials to prioritize the exercise until all the garbage had been removed.
"Fort Portal is known as a tourism city. It cannot maintain that reputation while it is surrounded by mountains of garbage. Tourists come to experience a clean, attractive city, not poor sanitation," Balaam said.
Following the directive, two tippers and road graders were dispatched to Kabundaire Market, where the waste removal exercise commenced immediately.
The minister later joined local leaders, residents, and schoolchildren in cleaning various parts of the city before returning to Mpanga Market, one of the largest government-owned markets in the Tooro sub-region.
At the market, hundreds of traders and residents raised concerns over persistent challenges affecting their livelihoods, including high taxes, poor sanitation, and inadequate service delivery.
In response, Balaam issued a series of directives aimed at addressing the grievances. He ordered investigations into allegations that some revenue collection contractors had been diverting public funds into personal accounts, warning that anyone found culpable would face arrest and prosecution.
He also directed city authorities to reopen closed market stalls to enable vendors to resume business, ordered investigations into contractors accused of carrying out substandard or "ghost" road works, and called for the inclusion of eligible market vendors in the Parish Development Model (PDM).
The National Clean-Up Exercise forms part of the government's broader campaign to improve sanitation, promote environmental conservation, strengthen public health, and encourage civic responsibility across the country.
