Leaders in Luwero District are raising the alarm over what they call a dangerously high rate of teenage pregnancy after a new report revealed that 4,811 girls under the age of 19 became pregnant in the last financial year.
The 2024/25 district health report, based on first antenatal care visits, showed that 44 of the pregnant girls were below the age of 15. While the total number of cases represents a slight decline from 4,875 the previous year, officials say the situation remains a crisis.
Luwero LC5 Chairperson Erastus Kibirango said the district’s teenage pregnancy rate fell from 16.1% to 15.5% but described the numbers as still alarmingly high. He attributed the problem to a combination of parental neglect, poverty-driven child labour, and young girls being exposed to sex in exchange for money.
“Efforts to discourage child labour in towns have yielded little success,” Kibirango noted.
The report identified Kamira and Zirobwe town councils, along with the sub-counties of Kamira, Katikamu, and Zirobwe, as the areas with the highest prevalence.
Local leaders and community members pointed to a range of societal failures. District Probation Officer Joyce Namigadde blamed relatives, casual labourers, teachers, and boda boda riders for luring girls into reckless sexual behaviour. Zirobwe Sub-county LC3 Chairperson Expedito Kiroli cited family breakups caused by domestic violence, which leaves girls “unattended and vulnerable to sexual abuse” as they seek basic necessities.
Grace Wadda, a parent in Luwero Town, agreed, stating that young girls who vend agricultural produce are easily enticed into sexual activity for money.
The high number of cases is also straining the local health system. Dr. Innocent Nkonwa, the Luwero District Health Officer, warned that teenage pregnancies exert immense pressure on facilities, as young mothers are at a higher risk of complications and often cannot deliver normally.
Dr. Nkonwa emphasized that the “only sustainable solution is to keep girls in school and delay their involvement in sexual activity”.
