The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, the Most Rev Dr Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu, has urged Ugandan’s to embrace the national cleaning exercise and make cleanliness a personal responsibility to promote healthy communities and protect the environment.
Archbishop Kaziimba made the call on Saturday while joining residents of Kumi District in a community cleaning exercise at Odero Market along the Kumi-Soroti Highway.
Archbishop Kaziimba said cleanliness should not be limited to removing rubbish from public places but should also extend to personal hygiene, homes and people’s minds.
“Cleaning should go beyond picking kaveera and rubbish. It should extend to our bodies and what we store in our minds. Even marriages are breaking down because each person is accusing the other of being dirty,” Archbishop Kaziimba said.
He emphasised that cleanliness is closely associated with godliness and encouraged Ugandans to take responsibility for keeping their homes, workplaces and communities clean.
The Archbishop also called on the public to plant trees, protect the environment and promote a culture of looking out for one another.
He said environmental protection should be treated as a shared responsibility rather than something left to government agencies alone.
Archbishop Kaziimba was joined by the Bishop of Kumi Diocese, Rt Rev Michael Okwii Esakan; Kumi Deputy Resident District Commissioner James Small Chemutai; Kumi Orthopaedic Hospital director and National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) board member Dr John Ekure; Lions Club of Kumi president Assistant Commissioner of Police Canon Barbara Alungat, among other leaders and residents.
The cleaning exercise was held as part of the national cleaning programme, under which the government designated the last Saturday of every month as a national cleaning day.
