JESE joins other stakeholders to clean Fort Portal Tourism City.

As part of our effort to protect the environment, Joint Effort to Save the Environment joined other actors in the cleaning of Fort Portal Tourism City. An activity initiated by the Tooro Kingdom under the theme “BARAGIRA KIKI CAMPAIGN,” actors leveraged this and marked the beginning of the Water and Environment Week.

The Ministry of Water and Environment Albertine regional office, Tooro Kingdom, together with AFRIYEA, on 1st of March 2025 participated in the monthly Fort Portal City clean-up exercise.

As part of its Albertine Regional Water and Environment Week pre-events, the activity intended to spread awareness on proper waste management for sustainable water resources and environmental management, with the main goal of keeping River Mpanga clean and safe for socio-economic development of the Mpanga catchment.

The Prime Minister of the Tooro, Rt. Hon. Calvin Rwomire Armstrong, who represented the Omukama of the Tooro Kingdom as the Chief Guest thanked the organising partners for the effort in setting up the event and also urged them to take it a step further and also engage in mindset change activities to sensitize the local community on taking care of their environment and river to enable them curb the adverse effects of global warming.

The event was also attended by representatives of the de-concentrated Ministry of Water and Environment departments, Uganda People’s Defence Forces, the Uganda Police Force, office of the Resident City Commissioner, and partners such as IRC, Jese, Join For Water, NRDI, primary, secondary and tertiary education institutions, members of the media and members of the local community.

In addition to the cleaning campaign, the ARWEWK launched the demarcation of Nyakimya wetland along River Mpanga in Fort Portal City, Kabarole District. With support from Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, through Join For Water with NRDI, the implementing Agency, will demarcate six wetland systems in Fort Portal Tourism City.

The event was marked by the ceremonial installation of the first pillar within Fort Portal City, which marked the beginning of demarcation of 10km along the same wetland.

During this launch, the Chief Guest, Calvin

Rwomire Armstrong, the Prime Minister of Tooro Kingdom, pledged to support the ministry’s projects and urged the locals to take up the initiative to protect and restore the wetlands in order to control and reduce the effects of global warming which is increasing at an accelerated rate.

The event was also attended by representatives of the de-concentrated Ministry of Water and Environment departments, Tooro Kingdom, Uganda’s key defense and security agencies, office of the Resident City Commissioner, assorted key partners, education institutions, the media fraternity and members of the local community