I would like to thank all Rwandans who participate in the Umuganda community work every last Saturday of the month.

Umuganda has managed to bring about cleanliness in the city and its suburbs; it has also reduced bushes around people’s houses which would act as breeding grounds for mosquitoes that spread malaria and other diseases. 

However my concern is that some parts have been left out yet their cleanliness is as important as in our homes.

If one took a walk around the 1930 Kigali central prison and Kimironko prison, you would wonder whether the people living around there are healthy or not prone to poor sanitation related diseases given the stench that emerges from the prison’s drainage system.

These neighbors may be used to the stench and can no longer smell it but that does not stop the harm from such environment.

You find children playing in the dirty water not aware of where it comes from.

To avoid all that, local leaders should work with the prison authority to ensure that the drainage system in our prisons are taken care of; for example they should dig septic tanks to contain the dirty water like all of us do it in our places of resident.

Before the month comes to an end I would suggest that local leaders think and plan on how these places can be cleaned in form of Umuganda when that Saturday comes, I am sure it would save us from the polluted air we always inhale.

Concerned citizen