Kyabazinga, Unicef partner to tackle teenage pregnancy, school dropout cases
In his remarks, the Monarch called upon the stakeholders in the education sector to join his Men are the Pillars initiative to raise awareness about the urgent need to end child marriage in Busoga and Uganda at large.
Kyabazinga of Busoga William Gabula Nadiope IV (C) with headteachers at Igenge Palace in Jinja City on Thursday. On his immediate right is UNICEF's Country Director Dr. Robin Nandi. (Credit: Donald Kiirya)
By Donald Kiirya
Journalists @New Vision
Kyabazinga of Busoga William Gabula Nadiope IV (R) receives a gift from UNICEF's Country Representative Dr. Robin Nandi (L) inside his Igenge Palace on Thursday. (Credit: Donald Kiirya)
JINJA - United Nations agencies in Uganda which include UNICEF, UNAIDS and UNFPA among others have partnered with Kyabazinga (Busoga king) William Gabula Nadiope IV to end teenage pregnancies and child marriages in the kingdom.
Diplomatic partners, led by UNICEF Uganda country representative Dr Robin Nandi, engaged in a high-level luncheon in the Igenge Palace in Jinja city's Bugembe.
The primary aim of the gathering was to deepen the impact of the “Abasadha n’empango” (Men are the Pillars) campaign by strengthening collaboration and securing mutual stakeholder commitment to mobilise resources for the programme.
Child marriage and teenage pregnancy continue to threaten children’s futures. It is for this reason that Nadiope IV was appointed a UNAIDS ambassador in the fight against teenage pregnancy and school dropout.
On May 30, 2025, after meeting with diplomatic partners inside his palace, the Kyabazinga also held a meeting with key stakeholders in the education sector to address the alarming rise in teenage pregnancies and school dropouts across the Busoga sub-region.
The meeting brought together District Education Officers (DEOs), school inspectors, local leaders and students from various primary and secondary schools in the region to candidly discuss the root causes of the escalating crisis.
This followed an earlier call by the Kyabazinga in a letter in which he requested children and all stakeholders to respond to questionnaires detailing the reasons behind the troubling trends, which he received at the function.
In his remarks, the Monarch called upon the stakeholders in the education sector to join his Men are the Pillars initiative to raise awareness about the urgent need to end child marriage in Busoga and Uganda at large.
Kyabazinga, who last week graduated from the US-based Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs with a master's degree, spoke about the harmful practice of teenage pregnancy and child marriage, highlighting the impact of the vices on young girls’ future and calling for unified action to protect children.
Rally to men
He also called upon men to take up job creation and income-generating activities as a means of improving household incomes, which in turn would reduce the pressure on children to leave school.
“I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Dr Nandi for creating time to come here and for the commitment that you have shown to support Busoga Kingdom in fighting teenage pregnancies and improving education standards in the region,” Kyabazinga said.
He committed to using the cultural institution and leading the way in strengthening linkages among actors, mobilising all stakeholders to create a critical mass that can fight to end teenage pregnancy and as well improve on the other development indicators such as education, health and household income among others.
He urged students not to indulge in things that will take their future easily.
The Monarch challenged all stakeholders in their respective roles to pause and ponder what is going wrong in our communities and to innovatively come up with strategies to confront these issues.
“I have confidence in that you have what it takes to shape children to a mindset of believing in education and to work together with parents to overcome challenges that make children especially girls drop out of schools—I commit to supporting you in mobilising the communities and parents, partners and other stakeholders for a better approach to combating these vices,” Kyabazinga said.
He added that he will work with everyone, especially the relevant arms of government, including the ministries of education, health, local government and the Police and communities.
Listen to your parents
To all peers in and outside school, Kyabazinga implored them to listen to the advice of their parents, teachers and other leaders in their locations.
“Do not indulge in things that will take you off your road to success, focus on your studies until you have gained skills to manage the world—bad habits like drug abuse and indulging in early relationships will ruin your future, so guard your future by staying in school and working hard to excel in your exams,” Kyabazinga highlighted.
Parents to blame
Busoga Prime Minister Joseph Muvawala blamed parents for neglecting their roles and leaving children to fend for themselves and self-manage.
Muvawala also called out schools that have become overly focused on academic grades at the expense of holistic education, saying grades have compromised the competitiveness among learners.
Proactive stance
Nandi commended the Kyabazinga for taking a proactive stance, adding that UNICEF is committed to supporting initiatives that aim to reduce school dropout rates and support young mothers to continue with their education.
Nandi highlighted UNICEF’s core commitment in partnership with the central Government, UN agencies, development partners and local communities, which is dedicated to addressing teenage pregnancy and child marriage, ensuring that children in the Busoga sub-region and in Uganda survive, remain in school and thrive.
Busoga, in partnership with national and international stakeholders, is expected to roll out community-based initiatives, policy reviews, and targeted interventions to combat teenage pregnancy and keep children in school.
Present at the ceremony were Busoga Kingdom’s 2nd deputy premier Osman Ahmed Noor, Busoga Lukiiko speaker George Mutyabule, education minister Nasabu Nantale, gender minister Rose Kafuko, constitutional affairs minister Alex Luganda and the Issabalangira of Busoga Sam Nkuutu, among others.