National Cleaning Day: Nakawa Traders Put Business Aside, Join ARDHI to Clean the Market

More than 100 volunteers and traders took part in a cleanup exercise at Nakawa Market on Saturday as ARDHI joined Ugandans across the country to mark National Cleaning Day.

Led by ARDHI Executive Director Eng. Dr. Peter Byamugisha, the exercise started at 7:00am with more than 40 volunteers before market traders joined in, temporarily putting aside their businesses to participate.

The exercise was supported by the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), Nakawa Market Authority and the Uganda Police Force.

Byamugisha said maintaining clean workplaces should be a shared responsibility.

“Keeping our places of work clean is a collective responsibility. National Cleaning Day is a timely reminder that cleaning, and working in a clean environment, matters for our health, our businesses and our dignity,” Byamugisha said.

ARDHI Country Director Counsel Nassir Mwanje called on other organisations to embrace cleaning activities as part of their corporate social responsibility.

“Keeping our cities, towns and villages clean should not be left to KCCA alone. It is a responsibility shared by every institution, government and non-government alike,” Mwanje said.

He also commended the unity demonstrated by traders, volunteers and other stakeholders during the exercise.

“In this activity, we saw people coming together to clean the market. This day brings Ugandans together, and ARDHI will keep taking part in as many markets across the country as we can to promote it,” Mwanje added.

Mwanje said such initiatives can help encourage communities and institutions to take greater responsibility for their surroundings.

For ARDHI, the exercise was part of its broader focus on waste management, one of the organisation’s core thematic areas.

The organisation is also developing smart bins designed to make waste collection cleaner, more efficient and easier to monitor in busy public spaces such as markets.

ARDHI thanked KCCA, Nakawa Market Authority, the Uganda Police Force, National Cleaning Day organisers, traders and volunteers for supporting the cleanup exercise.