Kyabazinga appointed UNAIDS goodwill ambassador to fight teenage pregnancies, HIV

The Kyabazinga (King) of Busoga William Gabula Nadiope IV has been appointed as a UNAIDS National Goodwill Ambassador for engaging men and boys to end teenage pregnancies.

The Kyabazinga will lead this pivotal campaign with efforts to involve men and boys in Busoga and Uganda at large to address the root causes of teenage pregnancies, poverty, lack of parental involvement, HIV prevention and limited access to reproductive health services in various rural and urban communities.

The campaign is dubbed ‘ABASADHA N’EMPANGO’ literally meaning ‘Men are the Pillars’ and it is aimed to inspire men to take charge and change the narrative of the negative development indicators in Busoga sub-region.

This campaign will be supported by UNAIDS in collaboration with 11 UN agencies, each focusing on different aspects of reducing teenage pregnancies in Busoga and Uganda at large. These agencies include; UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank.

These organizations will work together to address key issues such as poverty, education gaps, access to reproductive health services, and harmful social norms that perpetuate early pregnancies and child marriages.

During a meeting with the Kyabazinga at his Igenge Palace in Jinja City on December 13, UNAIDS Country Director Jacqueline Makokha, said they want to see increased engagement of men as the new game-changer for reducing teenage pregnancies and AIDS in the Eastern and Southern African region.

“We are also convinced that we will not get to the end of AIDS without the involvement of cultural leaders. While advocacy with governments and political leaders is important, partnerships with cultural leaders are equally important because we believe that cultural institutions and traditional structures enable changes from the “inside out”.

Makokha said adding that cultural leaders are more in touch with the people and the realities at the community and grassroot levels and for UNAIDs, working with cultural leaders also provides good value for money.

Makokha said Kyabazinga’s appointment aligns with UNAIDS’ broader mission to achieve zero new HIV infections, zero AIDS-related deaths, and zero discrimination globally.

UNAIDS Country Director Jacqueline Makokha (2nd R) handing over a shield of recognition to Kyabazinga of Busoga William Gabula Nadiope IV (R) at Busoga Kingdom headquarters on Friday.

“Uganda still has 1.4 million people living with HIV, the country registered 38,000 new HIV infections in 2023—this translates to about 730 new HIV infections every week, ¾ of these are adolescents and young people with girls and women taking the lion's share of 4 infections per 5 young people living with HIV,” Makokha revealed.

She said “64% of these infections are among women while 36% are among men and in addition, over 40 people die due to HIV every week and close to 14 babies contract HIV from their parents every week.

Makokha further said that UNAIDS and its co-sponsors are confident that the Kyabazinga has the power to change this situation among men—more importantly, having the power to transform young men and boys by influencing the positive cultural norms, beliefs and customs that impact their access to sexual reproductive health services plus positive gender relations.

Why the campaign?

UNFPA’s Country Representative, Gift Malunga, reported that  24% of the girls aged 15-19 have had a child or are pregnant, and in Busoga, the figure is even more staggering at 28.4%, translating to 1 in 3 girls.

 In the last three years alone, over 130,530 girls aged 10-19 became pregnant (Ministry of Health, DHIS2).

Kamuli and Mayuge continue to have the highest rates, with over 5,000 pregnancies annually.

Under Early Marriage, Malunga explained that 34% of women aged 20-24 were married or in union before age 18, and 7% were married before age 15 (DHS).

In regards to Limited Access to Contraceptives, Malunga said contraceptive use in Busoga is at 36.2%, which is below the national average. One in three adolescent girls aged 15-19 lacks access to modern contraceptive methods.

Under unsafe abortions, she said nearly 47% of unsafe abortions in the region occur among young women aged 15-24 and maternal mortality remains high, exacerbated by myths and misinformation surrounding childbirth while under HIV/AIDS, young people account for 35% of new HIV infections annually, with 80% of these infections occurring among young women.

Alarmingly, many young people prioritize avoiding pregnancy over HIV prevention, demonstrating a critical gap in their understanding of the long-term consequences.

She further said that sexual violence, exploitation, and abuse remain pervasive, and many cases go unreported or are not met with justice.

47.4% of the women have experienced physical violence since age 15 while 13% experienced sexual violence in the last 12 months.

Malunga further noted that poverty levels in Busoga are high, with 45.1% of people living in multidimensional poverty, exceeding the national average of 42.1%.   

In his remarks, the Kyabazinga expressed his impressive commitment to work with UNAIDS and its co-sponsors after he was appointed UNAIDS National Goodwill Ambassador for engaging men and boys to end teenage pregnancies in the Busoga sub-region.

He revealed that the campaign will be spearheaded by Kyabazinga Initiatives (KI), an organization established in 2023 in his office to drive strategic interventions for the development of Busoga.

Kyabazinga Initiatives will work closely with UN agencies and other partners to ensure the success of this initiative and many other projects that benefit the public.

“On behalf of Busoga, I extend my gratitude for the various interventions and works you are doing in Busoga and if we work as a team, we shall go a long way together in fighting teenage pregnancies and HIV/AIDS in Busoga,” Kyabazinga noted.

The Kyabazinga appointed Busoga Kingdom’s 2nd Deputy Prime Minister and also Head of Partnerships Alhaji Osman Ahmed Noor to be the focal person of the Kyabazinga Initiative and work with UNAIDS and its co-sponsors.   

Later the UNAIDS delegation and Kyabazinga headed to the Busoga Kingdom headquarters offices where he (Kyabazinga) was pronounced publicly as a UNAIDS National Ambassador at a colourful event and Makokha handed over a shield of recognition to him.

Dignitaries at both events included: Busoga Kingdom’s Prime Minister Dr Joseph Muvawala, the Chiefs Royal Council led by Issabalangira of Busoga Samuel Zirabamuzale Menhya, Speaker of Busoga Lukiiko George Mutyabule, Jessica Healey the Director in the Office of Health and HIV, USAID, Patrick Komakech the Team leader Family Health USAID Uganda, Sarah Nakku the UNAIDS Community support advisor, Florence Mpabulungi Tagoola the UNFPA program specialist, Ruth Senyonyi the chairperson of Uganda AIDS Commission, Busoga clans heads and other Kingdom officials among others.