KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda’s inaugural National Cleaning Day has sparked debate after a video circulated on social media appearing to show two police officers caning a man during enforcement of the government’s newly introduced monthly sanitation exercise.
The video, which began circulating online on Saturday, shows two uniformed police officers—one carrying what appears to be a rifle—striking a man with canes. The circumstances leading to the confrontation and whether the individual had violated the movement restrictions could not be independently verified at the time of publication.
The incident unfolded as Ugandans participated in the country’s first National Cleaning Day, launched on July 25 under a Cabinet policy requiring citizens to dedicate the last Saturday of every month, from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., to cleaning homes, markets, roads, drainage channels and other public spaces. The initiative also imposed temporary nationwide restrictions on non-essential movement during the exercise.
Ahead of the exercise, the Uganda Police Force announced that vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles and vessels would not be permitted to operate during the three-hour period except for emergency services, security operations and cross-border traffic. Police urged the public to cooperate with officers and avoid confrontations while participating in the exercise.
The nationwide campaign was officially launched by Vice President Jessica Alupo on behalf of President Yoweri Museveni and was promoted as a public health initiative intended to improve sanitation, reduce disease and foster a culture of community responsibility. Government officials, including Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, ministers, local leaders and security agencies, participated in cleanup activities across the country.
Deputy Inspector General of Police James Ocaya was among senior security officials who joined community clean-up exercises, underscoring the police’s role in supporting the initiative.
However, the video quickly shifted attention from the clean-up campaign to questions about enforcement.
On social media, reactions were mixed. Some users defended strict enforcement, with one user, Carol Prim, joking, “If you don’t want to clean just stay home.” Others questioned whether physical punishment was an appropriate way to encourage civic participation, arguing that caning risks undermining public support for an initiative intended to promote voluntary community responsibility.
The debate also revived discussion about police use of force in Uganda, where law enforcement has previously faced criticism from rights groups over its handling of public order operations.
As of Saturday evening, the Uganda Police Force had not publicly commented on the specific video or confirmed the identities of the officers involved.
The National Cleaning Day initiative will be observed on the last Saturday of every month as part of the government’s broader strategy to improve sanitation, prevent diseases linked to poor hygiene and encourage collective responsibility for maintaining clean communities.