{"id":2000132038,"date":"2026-11-12T08:20:14","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T06:20:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000132038"},"modified":"2026-11-12T08:20:21","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T06:20:21","slug":"zambia-launches-parliamentary-cleanliness-campaign-inspired-by-rwandas-umuganda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/zambia-launches-parliamentary-cleanliness-campaign-inspired-by-rwandas-umuganda\/","title":{"rendered":"Zambia launches parliamentary cleanliness campaign inspired by Rwanda\u2019s Umuganda"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The campaign, dubbed \u2018Keep Parliament Clean\u2019,<\/em> was launched by Speaker of the National Assembly Nelly B.K. Mutti in Kanyama Constituency, Lusaka, on November 9, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rwanda\u2019s High Commissioner to Zambia, Emmanuel Bugingo, was invited to share Rwanda\u2019s experience in mobilising communities to address environmental and socioeconomic challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mutti said the initiative goes beyond sweeping and collecting waste, emphasising the need to change attitudes towards cleanliness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe want every member of parliament, every member of staff, every visitor, and every constituency office to understand that a clean environment is a productive environment,\u201d she said.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mutti noted that collective efforts replicate what has worked in countries like Rwanda, citing the Umuganda as a shining example and inspiration for mindset change in Zambia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She urged parliamentarians to make cleanliness a habit and encouraged families to teach children not to litter, describing responsible waste disposal as an expression of patriotism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To sustain the campaign, she introduced the Nelly Mutti Trophy, which will recognise the best-performing constituency. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parliament will also collaborate with local authorities, the Zambia Environmental Management Authority (ZEMA) and other stakeholders to promote environmental awareness and community participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bugingo welcomed the initiative, describing it as similar to Rwanda\u2019s Umuganda, a longstanding community tradition revitalised after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi as one of the country\u2019s home-grown solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He explained that Umuganda traditionally involved families working together to address community needs, including building homes for vulnerable people, farming for those unable to work and helping patients access medical facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Rwanda, Umuganda is held on the last Saturday of each month, when citizens aged 18 to 65 participate in community work from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond environmental cleanliness, Bugingo said, the programme contributes to socioeconomic development, unity and social cohesion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lusaka Province Minister Obvious Mwaliteta said rapid urbanisation and population growth were putting pressure on waste collection services, exposing the city to public health risks, including cholera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He urged parliamentarians to use Constituency Development Funds to support clean-up activities where permitted by the guidelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
The campaign has highlighted the importance of changing public attitudes towards waste management and environmental protection.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Zambia\u2019s parliamentary cleanliness initiative has drawn on Rwanda\u2019s experience in mobilising citizens to address community challenges through collective action.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Rwanda\u2019s High Commissioner Emmanuel Bugingo has explained how Umuganda was revitalised after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi to support unity, social cohesion and socioeconomic development.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The launch has highlighted opportunities for Rwanda and Zambia to share experiences in community-led development and environmental protection.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Zambia has launched a parliamentary cleanliness campaign inspired by Rwanda\u2019s Umuganda community work programme.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Zambian parliamentary leaders and stakeholders have called for greater community participation and cooperation with local authorities to improve cleanliness in public spaces.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Zambia\u2019s National Assembly has launched a parliamentary cleanliness campaign drawing inspiration from Rwanda\u2019s Umuganda community work programme, with a call for citizens and public institutions to make cleanliness a shared responsibility.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2000132048,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"archived_slugs":[],"footnotes":"","igh_game_id":0},"categories":[41],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000132038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-40","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8,"twitter_handle":""}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8,"twitter_handle":""}],"featured_image":{"id":2000132048,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-11-11-at-9.13.58-AM.jpeg","alt":"","caption":"Zambian parliamentary leaders and stakeholders have called for greater community participation and cooperation with local authorities to improve cleanliness in public spaces.","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1000,"height":563,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-11-11-at-9.13.58-AM-150x150.jpeg","width":150,"height":150},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-11-11-at-9.13.58-AM-300x169.jpeg","width":300,"height":169},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-11-11-at-9.13.58-AM-768x432.jpeg","width":768,"height":432},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-11-11-at-9.13.58-AM.jpeg","width":1000,"height":563},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-11-11-at-9.13.58-AM.jpeg","width":1000,"height":563}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000132038","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000132038"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000132038\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000132064,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000132038\/revisions\/2000132064"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000132048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000132038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000132038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000132038"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000132038"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000132038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}