KAWEMPE WINS WEYONJE SANITATION CHALLENGE AS KAMPALA CELEBRATES ITS UNSUNG HEROES

Before sunrise, they are already at work, sweeping streets, clearing drainage channels and hauling waste long before the city stirs.

On Monday, Kampala paused to honor those quiet efforts as Kawempe Division was crowned overall winner of the 2025 Weyonje Sanitation Challenge.

The awards and end-of-year celebration, held Dec. 22 at Kitante Primary School, brought together city leaders, development partners and sanitation workers drawn largely from community SACCO and Seven hills.

The event was presided over by Kampala Capital City Authority Executive Director Hajjat Sharifah Buzeki.

Kawempe took first place and received UGX 5 million, followed by Rubaga Division with UGX 4 million, Central Division with UGX 3 million, Nakawa Division with UGX 2 million, and Makindye Division with UGX 1 million.

But beyond the prizes, the ceremony focused on recognition of the men and women who clean the city daily and whose work often goes unnoticed.

“You are my unsung heroes,” Buzeki told sanitation workers, urging them to protect themselves while on duty.

She confirmed that payments for November and December had been made and announced plans to increase the number of sanitation workers in the next financial year. Funds for protective personal equipment, she added, will be channeled through workers’ SACCO accounts.

“For November and December, this money has already been deposited,” Buzeki said

The Weyonje Sanitation Challenge is a citywide campaign designed to strengthen community-led waste management and inspire lasting behavior change across Kampala.

In 2025, all five divisions competed in six categories: fecal sludge management, solid waste management, green space management, innovations for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), health inspection, and best video documenting achievements.

Kawempe Division won the fecal sludge management and health inspection categories. Rubaga took top honors in solid waste management, Central Division in green space management, Nakawa Division in WASH innovation, and Makindye Division won best video.

The initiative is implemented in partnership with Fundoo, UNICEF Uganda and Centenary Bank, with rewards aimed at encouraging cleaner and better-managed communities across the capital.

Senior Presidential Advisor on Political Mobilization Moses Byaruhanga used the occasion to highlight the economic challenges faced by sanitation workers. He said he would ask the president, through government, to support each sanitation SACCO with UGX 200 million.

He also raised concerns about low wages, noting efforts to increase the daily pay from UGX 6,000.

The ceremony blended celebration with reflection. A musical performance by Stabua Natooro energized the crowd, while cake-cutting marked the close of the year. Each member of the KCCA cleaning teams received a food hamper from KCCA, a symbolic gesture of appreciation.

By Geofrey Mutegeki Araali

Communication and Media Relations Officer