Reckitt and Chil Group Launch Phase 3 of Dettol Hygiene Quest in Uganda, Targeting 650,000 Schoolchildren

What the report says

Reckitt and Chil Group have launched Phase 3 of the Dettol Hygiene Quest programme in Uganda, according to Watchdog Uganda, expanding a school-based hygiene initiative that is intended to improve health habits and reduce preventable illness among children. The announcement was made in Kampala on 15 October 2026.

The new phase is expected to reach an additional 650,000 schoolchildren in Mpigi, Kampala, Kabarole and Kabale districts. The programme will provide hygiene education, practical demonstrations, digital monitoring and hygiene supplies, including Dettol antibacterial soap. Organisers said the effort is designed to reinforce handwashing, personal hygiene and disease-prevention practices in schools and to encourage children to share those habits at home and in their communities.

Watchdog Uganda reported that the expansion follows earlier phases of the programme, which the partners say were associated with reductions in hygiene-related school absenteeism. Chil Group’s chief executive, Dr. Shamim Nabuuma, said the initiative aims to keep preventable illness from disrupting education, while Reckitt representative Cassandra Uzo-Ogbugh said the company wants to broaden access to health and hygiene education through continued collaboration.

More broadly, the project fits into Reckitt’s wider public-health work in Africa and reflects a growing use of school programmes and digital tracking tools to support behaviour change. If successful, the initiative could help improve attendance and strengthen hygiene awareness in participating communities.