Boda boda riders, fishmongers have multiple sexual partners

By Vision Reporter

WAKISO - Nineteen percent of married women among key populations in Wakiso district have had more than seven sexual partners in the last six months.

These findings are contained in a study conducted by Mildmay Uganda under its three-year Most At Risk Population Project.

Of the respondents, 62% had ever been married of which 45% reported living in a marriage relationship. A representative sample of 240 ( 60 sex workers, 60 boda boda riders, 60 fish folks and 60 youth out of school) respondents were selected. 98% of them participated in the study.

Commissioned in February 2014, the study was conducted in five sub counties of Wakiso District; Bussi, Wakiso Town Council, Makindye Sabagabo, Nangabo and Nansana Town Council.

Mildmay Uganda (MUg) Executive Director Dr. Barbara Mukasa said the project is aimed at contributing to the reduction of new HIV infections among the key populations that include fish folks, female sex workers, boda-boda riders, youths out of school, couples including pregnant women and the general community in the five sub counties through mobilization for HIV prevention, care, treatment and referral services.

From the findings, it was evident that key populations especially boda boda riders and fisher folks may have higher chances of contracting and transmitting HIV/AIDs due to the nature of their lifestyles.

“60% of the fisher folk had more than three sexual partners while 20% had more than seven in the last 6 months,” Dr. Mukasa explained in the summary report of the survey.

Dr. Mukasa noted that Mildmay Uganda is strengthening its HIV/AIDS prevention through intensified behavior change communication campaigns and counseling efforts to reduce the spread of HIV while supporting scale up of HIV treatment through funding from PEPFAR/Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 16 districts of Central Uganda, Wakiso inclusive.

The key population project targets to increase risk perception and adoption of safer sexual behaviours/practices among 40, 150 individuals in the five sub counties by March 2016. So far, a total of 604 have been reached. It is funded by CSF.

In regard to condom use, the study revealed that boda boda riders represent the least number of people who used a condom in their last sexual encounter at 67%, followed by fisher folk 63%, youth out of school 42% and sex workers 31%.

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