By Henry Sekanjako

MPs under the network for African women ministers and parliamentarians -Uganda chapter (NAWMP) have urged government to consider improving service delivery for the existing Uganda's population than advocate for population growth.

The MPs lead by the chairperson NAWMP Sylvia Namabidde said, there was no need to increase on the existing Uganda's population but rather to focus on improving the wellbeing of the current population through improved health care, quality education, and infrastructural development.

The  legislators were on Wednesday  reacting to President  Yoweri Museveni's remarks  he made at an international family planning summit in the UK in July where he said  that: " population growth  is not  the problem . But underdevelopment and lack of social-economic transformation as well as child spacing which would ensure the health of babies and mothers."

"His remarks were so disappointing and misleading; you cannot tell the Wanaichi (local people) to produce when they cannot afford looking after these children," said Milton Muwuma (Kigulu south).

Kakuuto county MP Mathias Kassamba added; "you cannot support population growth when there are no structures in place.

The MPs discouraged population growth saying most of the time is spent on carrying and looking after babies by Ugandans which they say affects the country's economic growth.

"Ugandans should spend two to three years before they can get pregnant again, lack of child spacing has contributed to death among mothers," said Rose Nyakikongoro (Sheema district).

She added; "women should be allowed to recover after child delivery and be encouraged to use family planning to avoid the burden of looking after many children".

The legislators noted that there was need to sensitize the public on the importance of child spacing so as to have enough children that they can be able to look after.