Security Operatives Arrest 22 in Dokolo National Cleaning Exercise

What the report says

Security operatives in Dokolo District, Uganda, arrested 22 people, including six women, during the National Cleaning Day exercise held on Saturday, according to Dokolo Post. District Police Commander Patience Baganzi said the suspects were allegedly found not taking part in the four-hour cleanup, with some reportedly on motorcycles, others at construction sites and some in small bars in Dokolo town.

Baganzi said the exercise passed peacefully and no deaths, injuries or other hazards were reported. She urged residents to treat cleaning as a regular responsibility, not a one-off event, noting that the initiative is meant to happen every last Saturday of the month. Resident District Commissioner Barbara Akech said some business community members did not participate and said the district will work with local leaders and business structures to improve turnout in future exercises.

District LC5 Chairman Peter Ogwang blamed the low participation on a communication gap, saying many people did not know the exercise was intended for the wider community. Other local leaders, including the district speaker and a community health extension worker representative, called for broader public involvement and stressed the public-health value of keeping schools, roads, markets, health facilities and trading centers clean. The National Cleaning Day follows a directive from the Office of the Prime Minister, and the report says officials warned that future non-compliance could attract legal action.