A new storm is brewing for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Zambia as the newly elected Lusaka Mayor has called for the introduction of a mandatory Saturday cleaning day, urging the church to follow Uganda's model despite the recent resolution that allowed Adventists there to observe the Sabbath on Saturdays.
The mayor's proposal comes as a shock to church leaders, who are still watching the situation in Uganda unfold. In Uganda, Adventist members have been forced to start Sabbath School in their homes and only gather for main worship at 10:00 AM due to the government's National Cleaning Day being held on the last Saturday of every month.
In Uganda, the Seventh-day Adventist Church formally objected to the government's mandatory National Cleaning Days, citing that the programme, as communicated, interfered with the observance of the Seventh-day Sabbath. According to Scripture, the Sabbath is God's holy day, observed from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday, and is a time for worship, fellowship, and rest from ordinary labour.
After negotiations, the Ugandan government granted an exemption, allowing Adventists to participate in the cleaning exercise on Sundays instead. President Yoweri Museveni directed that SDA faithful undertake their cleaning activities on the last Sunday of every month in recognition of their Sabbath observance.
The proposal from the Lusaka Mayor has raised concerns among Adventist leaders in Zambia, who fear a repeat of the Ugandan conflict. The Church is now waiting to see how the two unions in Zambia will respond to what is seen as a direct threat to religious liberty.
In Zambia, the Adventist Church is a significant presence, with over 1.3 million members in more than 3,200 congregations. The Church has actively engaged in community clean-up efforts in the past, including a major city-wide cleaning exercise in Lusaka in 2024, but such initiatives have always been conducted without compromising the sanctity of the Sabbath.
The Church's position is clear: while Adventists support initiatives that promote a clean and healthy environment, they remain committed to the sanctity of the Seventh-day Sabbath as ordained by God.
Commentary
Uganda introduced mandatory National Cleaning Days on the last Saturday of every month (from 8AM to 11AM) to address public health crises caused by poor sanitation and waste management. It has been observed that 75% of the country's disease burden (such as malaria, typhoid, and diarrhea) stems from poor hygiene, endemic litter, and poor sanitation.
Hakainde Hichilema, the president of Zambia is a baptized member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It will be interesting to see how he responds to this proposed cleaning mandate in Lusaka.
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“Those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed” (1 Samuel 2:30).
