Kabale District launches Sanitation week, a global event which precedes World Water Day.

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By Alex Byakatonda

Communications officer-Kabale

Kabale District has today launched the sanitation week, with a call for combined efforts towards improving sanitation and hygiene in order to reduce on preventable diseases such as diarrhea and stunting among others, which constitute 75percent of Uganda’s disease burden.

Uganda’s sanitation week 2024 is being commemorated under the theme “Sanitation and hygiene for all; a key to sustainable health living”. The Sanitation week for Kabale District, which stated today and is expected to end on 12^th April, was launched with cleaning Kabanyonyi market in Kabanyonyi trading centre of Buhara Subcounty.

Speaking at the launch, the Assistant Health officer in Charge Environmental Health, Oliver Namanya, underscored the need for all stakeholders in the district to show commitments to improve on sanitation and hygiene, since it is vital in ensuring good health and other components of sustainable human development.

He added that the week will be observed by reminding the stakeholders of the need to ensure proper sanitation and hygiene by cleaning their homesteads, the environment and other public places like markets and schools among others.

Namanya added that the sanitation week, also helps to awaken the pubic and create awareness to realize social behavioral change towards sanitation and hygiene in order to help in curbing preventable diseases.

Presiding over the launch of the sanitation week, the Kabale District Vice Chairperson, Miria Akankwasa Tugume, who represented the District Chairperson, Nelson Nshangabasheija, warned the public against littering of garbage, inoder to curb preventable diseases. Akankwasa, observed that latrine coverage for Kabale District stands at 86percent and thereby urging those without latrines to construct them in order to put an end to diseases caused by poor sanitation and hygiene.

While launching the national sanitation week activities last month, Dr. Diana Atwine, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, noted that 75% of the disease burden in Uganda is preventable. She added that Diarrhoea, one of the top three childhood killer diseases in the country, claims the lives of 33 children daily, with 90% of cases directly attributed to inadequate water, poor sanitation, and unhygienic practices.

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