The five-year framework seeks to coordinate government agencies, cultural institutions, development partners and communities to address teenage pregnancy, child marriage, school dropouts, youth unemployment and poverty across Busoga.
The Kyabazinga of Busoga, His Majesty William Gabula Nadiope IV, has launched a five-year regional framework to coordinate efforts to tackle teenage pregnancy, child marriage, school dropouts, youth unemployment and poverty across the sub-region.
The Busoga Regional Multi-Sectoral Partnerships and Accountability Framework 2026–2030 was launched at Igenge Palace in Jinja City, bringing together government ministries, development partners, district leaders, cultural and religious institutions, civil society organisations, teachers and learners.
The framework is expected to require an estimated Shs50 billion over five years, according to its developers, with implementation focused on improving coordination and accountability among stakeholders working to address the region's social and economic challenges.
Opening the meeting, the Kyabazinga said Busoga was grappling with interconnected problems that threatened the well-being and prospects of younger generations.
“We are here today because of a number of crises in our region and Uganda at large. And that is the teenage pregnancies and child marriages, the youth unemployment crisis, the school dropouts, and inadequate health services, including access and uptake, especially on sexual and reproductive health,” he said.
He added that poor parenting and declining family and community responsibility were worsening the situation.
“These crises are not only unique to Busoga, but are indeed a national and global concern,” the Kyabazinga said.
William Gabula Nadiope IV, who serves as a United Nations goodwill ambassador for engaging men to end teenage pregnancy, said consultations conducted across Busoga had revealed that, although several organisations were implementing interventions, coordination and accountability remained weak.
“Based on the findings, a lot came out where we realised that; one, all of you here are doing a great job in your areas of jurisdiction, and I want to take this opportunity to officially thank you in a special way,” he said.
“Secondly, another finding in my view was that there is a big gap in the area of coordination and accountability. And that is the reason I have invited you here so that we agree to act together for a more impactful output in all that we do,” he added.
The Kyabazinga thanked stakeholders for endorsing the framework and pledged the kingdom's support through community-based structures, including village safeguarding committees.
On behalf of Obwa Kyabazinga bwa Busoga, he said the cultural institution would use its influence to mobilise communities and encourage changes in attitudes and practices that undermine development.
Representing the UNFPA Country Representative, Programme Coordinator for Gender and Youth Laura Lafuente Criado described the framework as an important step towards addressing the region's challenges through coordinated interventions.
She said teenage pregnancy remained a serious concern, claiming that more than 300 girls were becoming pregnant in Busoga every day, with little progress made over the past two decades.
“For too long, these interventions have been fragmented. Health sectors have been working in one corner, education in another, justice system somewhere else, while cultural and religious leaders have been brought only at emergence. Today, under the leadership of the Busoga Kingdom, we are choosing a whole of society and multi-sectoral approach,” Criado said.
She praised the Abasaadha N'Empango campaign, which promotes men's role in protecting families and communities, as well as the establishment of village-level committees to mobilise men and boys against harmful social practices.
She said the campaign demonstrated how cultural institutions could support efforts to protect women, children and adolescents while promoting consent, family well-being and respect for human rights.
Criado outlined four areas of UN support, including technical and financial assistance to integrate the framework into district development plans and annual budgets across 11 districts.
The other commitments include strengthening clinical and referral services for survivors of gender-based violence, improving sexual and reproductive health services and HIV prevention, and supporting data systems and joint monitoring.
She said the UN would support quarterly reporting to help the Kyabazinga and other stakeholders assess implementation progress and identify gaps.
Presenting findings from the study that informed the framework, Kyabazinga Initiatives Programme Director James Mukwaya said Busoga continued to face high levels of poverty and teenage pregnancy.
Citing figures he attributed to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, Mukwaya said monetary poverty in the region stood at 18.9 per cent, while teenage pregnancy was estimated at 28.4 per cent, compared with the national rate of 24.5 per cent.
“In every three girls in Busoga, one gets pregnant before the age of 18,” he said.
Mukwaya also said 60.9 per cent of young people in Busoga were not employed, in education or receiving training, compared with a national figure of 42.6 per cent.
He identified parental neglect as the leading underlying factor contributing to teenage pregnancy and other social challenges, followed by poverty and failures in leadership.
“One of the underlying causes which came out was the issue of parental negligence, the failure in the nurturing of children from the family level and the decline in the positive community cultural norms of the Basoga. Poverty became number two,” Mukwaya said.
He said the framework would provide a common platform for stakeholders to move away from fragmented interventions towards coordinated regional action.
The Executive Director of Kyabazinga Initiatives, Yudaya Babirye, said the organisation was established as a development arm of the kingdom to address Busoga's challenges through targeted programmes and partnerships.
She said the Kyabazinga Initiatives and Gabula Royal Foundation had trained 40,000 young people in vocational skills, adding that 27 male beneficiaries had joined the Uganda People's Defence Forces and were serving in the mechanical brigade.
Babirye said the king's decision to champion the campaign against teenage pregnancy reflected his belief that men had a central role in strengthening families and communities.
Director of Population and Social Development Planning at the National Planning Authority, Hamis Mugendawala, who represented Busoga Kingdom Prime Minister Dr Joseph Muvawala, said the framework aligned with the government's broader development planning agenda.
Regional Police Commander for Kiira Region Charles Nsaba pledged police support, saying security was essential for development programmes to succeed.
He committed the police to providing a safe environment for the initiative and endorsed the framework on behalf of the force in the region.
Busoga Kingdom Minister of State for Education Nasabu Nantale also pledged the education sector's support, saying schools and education stakeholders would work with the kingdom to implement the framework.
Student representative Buribawa Precious Esther of Wanyange Girls School pledged that learners would help spread awareness about preventing teenage pregnancy and support the framework's implementation.
The framework will be rolled out across 11 chiefdoms and district local governments, with a steering committee expected to meet quarterly to review progress, strengthen accountability and mobilise resources.
The initiative is intended to bring government agencies, cultural leaders, development partners and communities together around shared targets for improving the health, education and economic prospects of people in Busoga.