Gen. Tumukunde pledges to solve street children crisis

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The Minister-designate for Gender, Labour and Social Development, Henry Tumukunde, has pledged to prioritise interventions targeting street children in Kampala and other urban areas, saying the challenge demands urgent government attention.

Appearing before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Monday, June 1, 2026, Tumukunde drew attention to the scale of vulnerability among children living on the streets, questioning the absence of a lasting solution.

“We have removed terrorism on the streets of Kampala, why not street children?” he wondered, underscoring the need for a structured response to child welfare in urban centres.

Street children remain a persistent challenge in Uganda’s urban centres, including Kampala, Mbale, Jinja and Gulu, with thousands believed to live on the streets. Many are driven by poverty, family breakdown, and exploitation, with a large proportion reported to originate from the Karamoja sub-region.

Tumukunde also pointed at the labour export challenges, noting the need to properly assess Ugandans seeking employment abroad, particularly in domestic work. “We want to check the competence and capability of the person, especially where they are going, and understand whether they are suited for the tasks of the new place,” he said.

Tumukunde was a former presidential candidate in 2021, a security minister between 2016 and 2018, and also served as a director general of the Internal Security Organisation.

Parliament’s Appointments Committee, chaired by Speaker Jacob Marksons Oboth and deputised by Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, is vetting 81 presidential nominees for ministerial positions. The process follows Cabinet appointments announced by President Yoweri Museveni on May 26, 2026.