Wife sharing fueling new HIV infections in Ankole

The HIV focal person for Kiruhura district, Sarah Namulima, identified several harmful cultural practices are fuelling new HIV infections, including “okwarirana,” which involves sharing wives among kinsmen, where a host offers his wife to a visiting friend.

Mbarara city is also experiencing an influx of young girls from Rwanda and Burundi, transported weekly by buses to engage in commercial sex. Sources indicate that clients include not only local residents, but also men travelling from Kampala.