KYABAZINGA MOBILISES BUSOGA LEADERS TO TACKLE TEENAGE PREGNANCY AND POVERTY

By Barasa Richard

JINJA CITY — The Kyabazinga of Busoga, His Majesty William Gabula Nadiope IV, has mobilised government officials, cultural and religious leaders, development partners and communities to tackle teenage pregnancy, youth unemployment, school dropouts, gender-based violence and poverty through a new regional development framework covering 2026 to 2030.

The Kyabazinga launched the Busoga Regional Multi-Sectoral Partnerships and Accountability Framework at Igenge Palace in Jinja City, calling for stronger coordination, shared responsibility and accountability among institutions working to improve the welfare of children, adolescents and young people.

The framework seeks to address interconnected social and economic challenges that continue to affect families across Busoga, one of Uganda's poorest sub-regions.

Opening the meeting, the Kyabazinga said the challenges required urgent, coordinated action rather than isolated interventions by individual institutions.

"We are here today because of a number of crises in our region and Uganda at large. And that is the teenage pregnancies and child marriages, the youth unemployment crisis, the school dropouts, and inadequate health services, including access and uptake, especially on sexual and reproductive health," he said.

He added that persistent poverty, inadequate parenting and declining family and community responsibility were contributing to the challenges.

The Kyabazinga, who serves as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for engaging men to end teenage pregnancy, said consultations conducted across Busoga had identified gaps in coordination and accountability despite the work already being undertaken by government agencies, civil society organisations and development partners.

He thanked the stakeholders for their existing efforts but emphasised the need to bring their interventions together under a common regional strategy.

"Another finding in my view was that there is a big gap in the area of coordination and accountability. And that is the reason I have invited you here so that we agree to act together for a more impactful output in all that we do," he said.

The framework follows stakeholder engagements organised by Kyabazinga Initiatives, during which participants identified priority areas for collaboration.

The Kingdom pledged to support implementation through its cultural structures, including village safeguarding committees known as Empango dhe Byalo, alongside an accountability platform established with support from the National Planning Authority (NPA), UNFPA and other partners.

Representing the UNFPA Country Representative, Programme Coordinator for Gender and Youth Laura Lafuente Criado described the framework as an important commitment to protecting the health, dignity, rights and future of Busoga's children and young people.

She said teenage pregnancy remained a serious concern, citing an estimate that more than 300 girls become pregnant in Busoga every 24 hours.

Criado said teenage pregnancy could not be addressed in isolation because poverty, school exclusion, inadequate menstrual health support and gender-based violence increased the vulnerability of girls.

"For too long, these interventions have been fragmented. Health sectors have been working in one corner, education in another, the justice system somewhere else, while cultural and religious leaders have been brought only at emergencies. Today, under the leadership of the Busoga Kingdom, we are choosing a whole-of-society and multi-sectoral approach," she said.

She highlighted the importance of engaging men and boys in preventing teenage pregnancy, protecting children and promoting responsible parenting.

According to Criado, the Abasaadha N'Empango campaign and village committees established through the Kingdom demonstrate how cultural structures can contribute to protecting women, children and adolescents.

She outlined four UN commitments: providing technical and financial support to integrate the framework into district development plans and annual budgets; strengthening clinical and referral services for survivors of gender-based violence and people requiring sexual and reproductive health services; supporting data collection and joint monitoring; and helping young people access economic opportunities.

She also called on district leaders to translate their commitments into local action, including budget allocations, stronger law enforcement against perpetrators of abuse and improved support for vulnerable children.

Presenting findings that informed the framework, Kyabazinga Initiatives Programme Director James Mukwaya said Busoga continued to face significant social and economic challenges.

He cited figures indicating that monetary poverty stood at 18.9 per cent in the sub-region, while teenage pregnancy was estimated at 28.4 per cent, compared with a national rate of 24.5 per cent.

Mukwaya also reported that 60.9 per cent of young people in Busoga were not in employment, education or training, compared with a national figure of 42.6 per cent.

He said the assessment involved distributing more than 200,000 letters to children across Busoga and collecting feedback, alongside consultations with more than 2,000 other stakeholders.

The findings identified inadequate parenting and declining community responsibility as leading concerns, followed by poverty, weak leadership, risky behaviour and poorly coordinated development programmes.

School dropout emerged as a major consequence, alongside health risks, gender-based violence and the continuation of poverty across generations.

Mukwaya said the proposed response would prioritise economic empowerment, responsible parenting, joint implementation and shared accountability.

The five-year framework is expected to cover 11 districts, Jinja City, municipalities, local governments, government ministries and agencies, religious and cultural institutions, civil society organisations, security agencies, women and young people.

Its implementation is estimated to require approximately Shs50 billion over five years.

Kyabazinga Initiatives Executive Director Yudaya Babirye said the organisation was established to support the Kingdom's development agenda through targeted interventions.

She reported that Kyabazinga Initiatives and the Gabula Royal Foundation had trained approximately 40,000 young people in vocational skills and supported more than 2,000 learners through bursaries and scholarships. She also cited the distribution of 600,000 masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Babirye said the Kyabazinga had emphasised engaging men in efforts to end teenage pregnancy because of their influence within families and communities.

She also cited quarterly reports from Kamuli indicating a teenage pregnancy rate of 19 per cent, which she compared with an earlier figure approaching 30 per cent. She presented this as evidence of progress from community interventions.

However, she said additional challenges, including fraud involving agricultural inputs, were undermining livelihoods and discouraging some farmers from investing in agriculture.

Director of Population and Social Development Planning at the National Planning Authority, Hamis Mugendawala, said the framework aligned with national development priorities and pledged continued technical support.

He emphasised the importance of keeping children in school and strengthening household economic opportunities.

The education sector also pledged support. Busoga Kingdom Minister of State for Education Nasabu Nantale said the initiative could help address school dropout and improve educational outcomes across the region.

Students participated in a debate on the causes of school dropout, with learners from Wanyange Girls School, Iganga High School, Nakanyonyi Primary School and Musita Primary School sharing their views.

Student representative Buribawa Precious Esther of Wanyange Girls School pledged to promote the campaign in schools.

"We shall spread the gospel of ending teenage pregnancy in Busoga schools and support the Busoga Multi-Sectoral Framework 2026-2030," she said.

Regional Police Commander for Kiira Region Charles Nsaba committed the police to supporting the framework through security and law enforcement.

Representatives of district local governments, including Resident District Commissioners, district chairpersons, Chief Administrative Officers and technical officers, also pledged their support.

The framework received endorsements from participating sectors, including the Kyabazinga on behalf of the Kingdom.

Busoga Kingdom's Second Deputy Prime Minister, Owek. Osman Ahmed, thanked the partners and pledged transparency and accountability in managing resources contributed to Kyabazinga Initiatives. He also announced plans to mobilise additional support from the business community, boda boda operators, civil society organisations and other partners.

Implementation will extend across the region's 11 chiefdoms and district local governments, with a steering committee expected to meet quarterly to review progress, assess results and mobilise resources.

The framework marks a shift towards a coordinated regional response that brings together families, schools, government institutions, cultural leaders and development partners to address the underlying causes of teenage pregnancy, school dropout and poverty in Busoga.