Report: 90% of Ugandans don’t know how to wash hands properly

What the report says

Uganda’s Ministry of Health has published a report warning that poor handwashing and weak water, sanitation and hygiene services continue to drive preventable disease. According to The Observer’s report, the study says only about 10% of Ugandans wash their hands properly with soap and clean water after using the toilet and before handling food, despite awareness of the practice’s importance.

The ministry’s analysis, titled The Cost of Inaction on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, links poor hygiene to the country’s disease burden and estimates that 33 children under five die each day from diarrhoeal illnesses that could often be avoided through basic sanitation measures. It also says Uganda could lose up to $27 billion over the next decade if the situation does not improve. Officials cited pressure on sanitation systems from rapid urbanisation and said many households still lack reliable access to safe water.

Dr Herbert Nabaasa, who presented the findings, said inadequate WASH coverage is contributing to preventable illness across the country. The report, produced with researchers from the Economic Policy Research Centre, also puts the cost of treating water-borne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery and diarrhoea at Shs 1.658 trillion. The researchers argue that higher investment in WASH over the next five years could reduce disease burdens and save both the government and households money.

Permanent Secretary Dr Diana Atwine, meanwhile, criticised weak public compliance with cleanliness drives in Kampala, where more than half of domestic waste is said to go uncollected promptly. The findings matter because they frame WASH not only as a public health issue, but also as a major economic concern for Uganda.