Fort Portal City Leaders Demand Tougher Laws to Revive Cleanliness Reputation

Fort Portal City, elevated to city status five years ago, is battling filth from poor waste management, littering, and wetland encroachments despite its scenic rivers like Mpanga and Mugunu. Residents lament garbage piles and degradation that tarnish the area’s 1990s legacy of spotless streets.

Mayor-elect Rev. Willy Kintu Muhanga, set to take office in May, promises swift action. He plans to enforce bylaws requiring shops and town vehicles to have waste bins, with non-compliant businesses facing closure. “Any shop without a garbage bin will not operate,” he stated.

Muhanga outlined ‘Keep Fort Portal Clean Day,’ where all shops close for mandatory community clean-ups, backed by roadblocks if needed. Fines await those skipping communal efforts, stressing collective duty from residents, businesses, and transport operators.

On World Earth Day, leaders, Tooro Kingdom, civil society, and the Water and Environment Ministry joined clean-ups and tree-planting. Senior environmental officer Gladesi Natugonza pushes for a monthly unified cleaning day. Dr. Guma Brian from the Albert Water Management Zone highlighted environmental police and a River Mpanga restoration plan.

Rt. Rev. Reuben Kisembo urged attitude shifts against littering and stronger penalties for illegal dumping, warning of nature’s backlash from ecosystem destruction. Activist Muhereza Isiah from AFRIYEA flagged plastic pollution choking streets and rivers, calling for producer-led recycling and regulations.

These steps aim to reclaim Fort Portal’s clean image through partnership and enforcement.

Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)