Uganda is facing a growing crisis of teenage pregnancy, especially in Adjumani and Buyende districts, where the number of young girls getting pregnant is rising at an alarming rate.
According to a new policy brief from the Sexual Health and Reproductive Education (SHARE) project, teenage pregnancy is leading to school dropouts, health risks, and lost futures for thousands of Ugandan girls.
The research was carried out by Right to Play, an international NGO working to empower vulnerable children.
In Adjumani, a district in northern Uganda known for its large refugee population, 15.4% of girls aged 15 to 19 are either pregnant or already mothers — slightly below Uganda’s national average of 25%. The district reports, 176 pregnancies across 77 primary schools, 118 pregnancies in 24 secondary schools and An average of 5 teenage pregnancies per school.
In Buyende, a poor district in the Busoga sub-region, the situation is worse, with 24% of teenage girls affected. Right to Play’s executive director in Uganda, Titus Tumusiime, said he was shocked to learn about two 12-year-old girls in Primary Six who had become pregnant just last week.
“Those are dreams destroyed,” he said. “Those are lives whose destiny has been altered.”
Uganda has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in the world. National health data shows that. in 4 girls aged 15–19 is pregnant or has had a child.
Teenage pregnancies account for, 18% of births, 20% of infant deaths and 28% of maternal deaths in Uganda.
In 2021 alone, about 30,000 girls became pregnant every month.
The Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) says these pregnancies are costing Uganda billions in lost earnings every year.
FAWE’s executive director Suzan Opok said in a statement that laws against defilement, child marriage, and exploitation must be properly enforced.
“Reproductive health budgets should be meaningful, not just symbolic,” said Gloria Auma, who read Opok’s message at a recent policy meeting in Kampala.
She also called for age-appropriate sexuality education in schools and better youth-friendly health services.
The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development says it is stepping up its efforts to fight child marriage and teenage pregnancy.
“We launched a new national strategy in June 2025,” said Tollea Franco, Commissioner for Youth and Children Affairs.
Franco also revealed that guidelines on health, education, and life skills for out-of-school youth are nearly complete, and parenting programmes are already being used in several districts.
However, she admitted that it is still too early to measure impact.
Annah Muhawenimana, coordinator of the SHARE project, said Uganda has many good policies to protect children, but the real issue is weak enforcement.
“It’s not about writing more laws it’s about making sure they are followed,” she said.
Buyende and Adjumani both face special challenges, Adjumani hosts nearly 469,000 refugees, straining local systems and Buyende struggles with deep poverty, lack of infrastructure, and limited access to health services.
Wakiso Woman MP Ethel Naluyima, who attended the policy briefing on August 12, stressed that boys and young men must also be part of the national conversation.
“We can’t just talk to the girls,” she said. “Nothing happens to them without the involvement of boys.”
With thousands of girls at risk, experts agree that ending Uganda’s teenage pregnancy crisis will take urgent, united action from government, civil society, communities, schools, parents and boys too.
If not addressed effectively, the crisis threatens to reverse hard-won progress in education, health, and gender equality.
