Local leaders in Luwero district are sounding the alarm over a recent spike in teenage pregnancies, warning that the trend threatens the future of the young generation.
According to the latest district health report, at least 4,811 girls below the age of 19 became pregnant in the financial year 2024/25. The report further revealed that 44 of these girls were below the age of 15.
Although the numbers represent a slight decline compared to the 4,875 cases reported in 2023/24, officials say the situation remains alarming. The figures are based on first antenatal care visits registered at health facilities across the district.
The report indicates that teenage pregnancies are most prevalent in Kamira and Zirobwe town councils, as well as the sub-counties of Kamira, Katikamu, and Zirobwe. District probation officer Joyce Namigadde blamed relatives, casual laborers, teachers, and boda-boda riders for luring young girls into reckless sexual behavior.
Luwero LC V chairperson, Erastus Kibirango, noted that despite the slight drop in the teenage pregnancy rate from 16.1 per cent to 15.5 per cent, the numbers are still dangerously high.
Kibirango attributed the problem to parental neglect, poverty, and the exchange of sex for money. Grace Wadda, a parent in Luwero town, called for the strict enforcement of laws against child labor, saying that young girls who vend agricultural produce are easily lured into sexual activities.
Expedito Kiroli, Zirobwe sub-county LC III chairperson, linked the crisis to family breakups resulting from domestic violence, which leaves girls vulnerable to sexual abuse.
“The girls at risk of teenage pregnancies are those abandoned by their mothers in homes, and the only way to survive is to look for boys to offer them basic needs,” Kiroli said. “
We need to address the societal challenges that are causing family breakups if such cases are to be reduced.”
His counterpart, Pascal Imarach, decried the exposure of young girls to pornography, which he said fuels early sexual activity. Dr Innocent Nkonwa, Luwero district health officer, warned that teenage pregnancies place immense pressure on health facilities, as many young mothers are at high risk of complications. He emphasized that the only sustainable solution is to keep girls in school and delay their involvement in sexual activity.
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