Child rights advocates have sounded the alarm over Uganda’s persistently high rates of teenage pregnancy, warning that efforts to curb the crisis remain slow and insufficient despite years of interventions.
The call was made during Father’s Day celebrations over the weekend, organised by Fathers Arise.
The event, held under the theme of promoting responsible fatherhood and community protection, brought together civil society actors, activists, and members of the public to reflect on both fatherhood and child welfare challenges in Uganda.
According to the 2022 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS), 25 percent of Ugandan girls aged 15–19 have already begun childbearing placing the country among those with the highest teenage pregnancy rates in sub-Saharan Africa.
Annabellea Nakabiri Mukisa, Executive Director of The Ruminant Generation said current efforts to address teenage pregnancy are falling short because they often exclude men from the conversation.
“We are working on building girls’ agency empowering them to make informed decisions about their bodies and relationships. But that’s not enough,” Nakabiri said. “We also need to engage men, parents, and the wider community. When everyone is involved, then we are tackling the issue holistically.”
Nakabiri also pointed to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly the nearly two-year-long school closures that left many girls vulnerable to sexual violence, early marriages, and defilement. As a result, thousands of girls dropped out of school due to pregnancy, many without a clear pathway to return.
Although the government has made efforts in policy reform and child-focused programming, civil society actors say implementation and funding gaps continue to hamper progress.
“Policy alone is not enough. We need the resources to back it up and community structures that support girls to stay in school and access healthcare,” Nakabiri emphasised.
As part of the event’s broader message, Fathers Arise founder Isaac Mukisa called for renewed national attention to the role of fathers, especially those in informal sectors who are often overlooked.
“We’ve been doing it for our mothers every year Mother’s Day is always grand. But when it comes to Father’s Day, most men are not even aware it exists,” Mukisa said, noting that nearly 90 percent of the men he spoke with had never celebrated the occasion.
To shift this narrative, Mukisa said his organisation chose to specifically honor boda boda riders many of whom face stigma but make enormous sacrifices for their families.
“These men wake up early, brave heavy rains and dangerous roads, and some have even lost their lives or been seriously injured, just to provide for their families,” he said. “Yet, they manage to pay rent, raise children, buy land, and build homes some have done this for over 15 years.”
He stressed that while boda boda riding may be dismissed by some, it remains a critical source of income and stability for thousands of Ugandan men and their families.