Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has agreed that members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church will carry out the national cleaning exercise on Sunday instead of Saturday, their Sabbath day of rest and worship.
The decision was reached during a meeting between the Prime Minister and leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, who were represented by bishops and members of their legal team. The meeting sought to find a way for Adventists to participate in the national cleaning exercise without interfering with their right to worship on Saturday.
According to Nabbanja, Adventists will be required to participate in the cleaning exercise on Sunday, while they will be allowed to observe their Sabbath on Saturday.
“As advised by the President, Seventh-day Adventist Church members will work on Sunday, not Saturday. However, they will have to observe the three-hour lockdown at their homes,” Nabbanja said.
She emphasised that Adventists, like other Ugandans, must remain in their homes during the three-hour period of the national cleaning exercise, which applies across the country.
Nabbanja thanked the Adventist leadership for accepting the guidance of President Yoweri Museveni on the matter, which had sparked public debate and criticism of the cleaning programme.
She also said the government would continue to assess the impact of the national cleaning exercise. According to Nabbanja, the amount of garbage in different parts of the country has continued to reduce since the programme began.
She added that the government would meet to review the programme and consider other proposals and the way forward.
The Adventist leaders also thanked the President for allowing their members to continue worshipping on Saturday while participating in the national cleaning exercise on Sunday.
The Ugandan government, through the Prime Minister's office, directed that the country observe a three-hour lockdown on the last Saturday of each month as part of the National Cleaning Day programme. During the period, vehicles, motorcycles and boats are not allowed to move, except those used by security agencies and ambulances.