Security operatives in Dokolo District have arrested 22 people, including six women, for allegedly failing to participate in the National Cleaning Day exercise held on Saturday.
Dokolo District Police Commander (DPC) Patience Baganzi said the exercise was conducted peacefully, with no fatalities, injuries or occupational hazards recorded.
Baganzi said some of the suspects were arrested while riding motorcycles, others at construction sites, while some were found in small bars in Dokolo town during the four-hour exercise.
She urged residents to embrace the initiative and make cleaning part of their routine every last Saturday of the month.
Dokolo Resident District Commissioner Barbara Akech said some members of the business community failed to participate, with some reportedly remaining in their homes or engaging in other activities.
Akech said the district would engage local leaders and business community structures to ensure wider participation in future exercises, warning that those who fail to comply with the directive would face the law.
Dokolo District LC5 Chairman Peter Ogwang attributed the low participation to a communication gap, saying many residents were not aware that the exercise was meant for everyone.
Ogwang said district leaders would ensure public places, including health facilities, schools, roads, markets and trading centres, are kept clean.
District Speaker Alilo Boniface also urged residents to abandon the perception that the exercise is meant only for security personnel and called for collective participation in the next cleaning exercise.
Adero Fiona, the Dokolo Town Council Community Health Extension Workers’ leader, said maintaining good hygiene was important in preventing diseases and reducing unnecessary visits to health facilities.
The National Cleaning Day is observed every last Saturday of the month following a directive from the Office of the Prime Minister.