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Kyabazinga leads fight against teen pregnancies

Busoga King (Kyabazinga) William Gabula Nadiope IV. PHOTO/HANDOUT 

What you need to know:

  • For a long time, Unaids, along with the UN agencies, has enlisted the voluntary services and support of prominent individuals as goodwill ambassadors to many campaigns aimed at achieving good health and wellbeing of communities.

On December 13, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (Unaids), unveiled the Kyabazinga of Busoga,
William Gabula Nadiope IV, as its goodwill ambassador to scale up efforts to curb teenage pregnancies in Uganda.

The minister for Kyabazinga Affairs, Ms Yudaya Babirye, explained that the Kyabazinga’s appointment means he is at
the forefront of fighting teenage pregnancies.

“Therefore, when the Kyabazinga takes a lead in this fight, his message will be delivered to the bigger audience that
believes in him. The Kyabazinga has already started identifying the core drivers in addressing this challenge,” she said
in an interview early this month.

Ms Babirye said getting the men involved in the fight against teenage pregnancies will create more impact since
some of them are perpetrators.

She said the appointment of Kyabazinga as a lead person in curbing teenage pregnancy inspires young men to take action
and be the lead agents in ending teenage pregnancy.

Ms Babirye expressed optimism that the coming on board of the Kyabazinga will attract other partners to facilitate activities geared towards this cause.

For a long time, Unaids, along with the UN agencies, has enlisted the voluntary services and support of prominent individuals as goodwill ambassadors to many campaigns aimed at achieving good health and wellbeing of communities.

In 2016, Unaids appointed Tooro King Oyo Nyimba Iguru Rukidi IV as its goodwill ambassador to combat HIV/Aids among the youth, while in 2017,they appointed the King of Buganda, Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, the Unaids ambassador.

The programme coordinator of Network for Empowerment of Marginalised Children and Youth (NEMACY –UG), an
NGO that rehabilitates vulnerable children, including victims of teenage pregnancy, Mr Paul Batambuze, expressed
gratitude towards Kyabazinga’s new responsibility, saying it is something that has been missing in the chain of stop-
ping teenage pregnancy in the region.

“I welcome the appointment of Kyabazinga as an ambassador of fighting teenage pregnancy, his position as the Num-
ber One citizen of Busoga means a lot in whatever he tells people to do,” Pastor Batambuze said.

Ms Betty Angatai, the executive director of Save Young Mother’s Uganda,a Mayuge-based non-government organisation, also expressed excitement towards the Kyabazinga’s new assignment, saying the backing of cultural leaders has been lacking in the fight against teenage pregnancy.

“We wanted the backing of cultural leaders because some cultures have been promoting teenage pregnancies,”
Ms Angatai said.

In December, last year UNAIDS in partnership with the Kyabazinga of Busoga launched a campaign dubbed "Abasadha n"empango" (men are the pillars) to address the alarming rates of teenage pregnancies and child marriages in the Busoga Sub-region.

Each agency will bring its expertise to tackle issues such as poverty, education gaps, access to reproductive health, and
harmful social norms that perpetuate teen pregnancies and child marriages. It will be spearheaded by Kyabazinga
Initiatives (KI), a development organisation established under the Kyabazinga’s
office in 2023.