The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has appealed to residents to remain patient as it clears the massive volumes of waste generated during Saturday's National Clean-Up Day, saying the exercise exposed the growing challenge of unmanaged household and commercial waste across the city.
Speaking after the exercise, KCCA Executive Director Hajjat Sharifah Buzeki said the authority collected far more waste than anticipated, with much of it coming from homes and business premises where garbage had accumulated over time.
"From the National Clean-Up Day, we realised there were huge volumes of waste, most of it coming from households. Residents took advantage of the exercise to bring out waste that had been stored in their homes and business premises, and we appreciate their participation," Buzeki said.
She explained that while KCCA routinely collects waste from public spaces, markets, schools and through road-sweeping operations, waste generated by households and business premises remains the responsibility of property owners.
Buzeki said KCCA had deployed teams to work around the clock to ensure all the waste is collected and transported to the Jjala Waste Management Site for safe disposal, despite delays caused by the unusually high volumes.
"We are working day and night to ensure that every last pile of waste is evacuated and taken to Jjala. We ask households to be patient because the turnaround time has increased due to the unusually large volumes of waste and long queues at the disposal site. However, we remain committed to clearing all the waste," she said.
She thanked KCCA's concessionaires, government agencies and private contractors for providing trucks and other logistical support that enabled the authority to handle the increased workload.
Buzeki also announced that the National Clean-Up Day will now be held every month, urging Ugandans to embrace the initiative as a shared responsibility aimed at improving sanitation, protecting public health and creating a cleaner environment.
The monthly exercise forms part of the government's broader efforts to strengthen waste management, improve urban sanitation and encourage communities to take greater responsibility for keeping their surroundings clean.
