By Anzoo Evaline.

Ciforo Police Post has launched a new community outreach initiative aimed at strengthening the relationship between the police and residents through community policing at the parish level.

In a move described as the first of its kind in the area, the community members will be educated on their roles and responsibilities as well as those of the police.

According to the Officer in Charge (OC) of Ciforo Police Post, Inspector Barigo Charles, the idea of moving parish by parish is intended to strengthen coordination and communication between community leaders and the police.

“We want to bring the community closer to us. The Community can help us to identify offenses within communities before they escalate into serious crimes. Many issues arise simply because of ignorance among community members,” Barigo said.

Residents of Okangali Parish where the launch took place on 12^th November 2025 expressed gratitude towards the approach, saying it was the first time a police officer in the sub county had taken the initiative to personally reach out and educate them on matters of law and order. During the dialogue organized by the police, the residents widely hailed the move as a positive and much-needed step towards improving community safety and cooperation.

Abio Jane, a resident of Forukwe Village, appreciated the OC and noted that most times women experience suffering because they are ignorant about the law and their rights.

Community leaders noted that the awareness sessions have helped them better understand how to report cases, cooperate with the police, and prevent minor disputes from turning into major conflicts.

Meanwhile, the LC II of Okangali parish, Irama Luke, applauded the OC and appealed for more engagement with police and other stakeholders.

The OC reaffirmed his commitment to continue the outreach program across all parishes in Ciforo Sub County, stressing that proactive engagement between the police and the public is key to maintaining peace and security in the area.

END.

By Anzoo Evaline.

Residents of Forukwa Village in Okangali Parish, Ciforo Sub County have raised serious concerns over the continuous and unexplained deaths occurring along the River Nile banks at Esia Stream. These observe that several people have drowned under unclear circumstances over the past four years.

According Eberu Francis, these incidents described as the ‘unnecessary disappearance of innocent souls in the name of death’ have caused intense fear and panic among families. Many of the drowning victims reportedly died while bathing at the river, a situation that locals say has become too frequent to be considered normal.

“We have issues of witch craft in our village here and the current one they are using is different from the previous one. Our sons are drowning in the river and event some times you hit yourself on a stone like this, reaching in the evening you are gone which is really a bad situation for us parents”, Eberu stated.

Some residents also expressed suspicion towards one of the village youths whom they believe may be connected to the repeated occurrences. They claim the pattern of the deaths raises questions that need urgent intervention from authorities.

Komaa Susan, whose daughter was touched by one the boys who calmed that he has touched her with a love portion expressed frustration over the future of her daughter.

“It’s really very bad for us mothers because even right now my daughter is a victim of this and I don’t know what there is for her”, Komaa said.

Echoing similar concern, the LC1 Chairman, Drani Bosco noted, for past four years the occurrence of mysterious deaths of there was too much. He further stressed that last week one of the youth travelled to Dufile Sub County and came back with another mysterious behaviour which they suspecting him to have come back poison.

“It has now taken four years, we are losing youths, elderly people strangely some times they will enter the river themselves and the next hour you see their dead body that’s the reason why we called this village meeting today so that we can vote out those people but accidentally the suspects are still at church for some counselling”, said the LC1 chairman.

The community has now appealed to the Sub County stakeholders to intervene and investigate the matter thoroughly before more lives are lost.

Responding to the residents’ concerns, the OC Ciforo Police Post, Barigo Charles, urged the community to remain calm and follow the right procedures in handling the matter.

“For us as police, we rely on evidence. So, if such an allegation is there, I am appealing to the community to come and report to police so that we bring this person in and investigate,” he stated.

He added that rushing to conclusions without facts can cause harm and may lead to wrongful accusations:

“Sometimes people talk based on rumours, and even issues like poison or witchcraft may not be factual. At times people allege such things because of personal misunderstandings. So, I appeal to the community not to take the law into their own hands,” he added.

The OC encouraged residents to share any credible information with the police to support proper investigations, emphasizing that only through lawful channels can the truth be established and lasting safety restored in Forukwe Village.

END.

By Anzoo Evaline

Adjumani District Local Government has allocated a budget worth Ugx 46,786,015,144/= for the Financial Year 2026/2027.

This reflects a 35.59% significant reduction compared to the Ugx 72,644,601,862/= approved in the running financial year.

During the budget conference that took place at the district council hall on 10^th November 2025, district leaders attributed the decline to several factors, including the completion of major donor-funded projects such as USMID-AF, DRDIP, PRELNOR, and NUSAF, whose conclusion has left noticeable funding gaps.

The Chief Finance Officer (CFO), Leku Samuel, acknowledged that the budget trend has shifted over time.

“Where are we heading? This is the first five years before history. As you can see here, the trend is coming down. For the last five years, we were doing well. It started from 25 billion to 72 billion during COVID time. Then you can see the trend has been the positive one. Now we have moved to 46 billion. Today we are gathered here for 46 billion,” he said.

Other leaders also warned that this reduction may affect service delivery, especially amid the rising population of both nationals and refugees in the district. Currently, Adjumani hosts 528,885 people, including 300,590 nationals and 228,295 refugees.

Speaking on the issue of the budget reduction, District Vice Chairperson, Hon. Kaijuka Richard Arthur, noted that the decline is not unique to Adjumani.

“I think everyone is aware that it’s not only in Adjumani but the whole nation is affected. But specifically, for Adjumani, most of the government projects have ended. I want to request our partners that though most donors have withdrawn, let’s continue supporting with the little we are having because the population of refugees in Adjumani is almost the same with the host community,” Kaijuka appealed.

Meanwhile, the effect of the reduction is already being felt. According to the Senior Finance Officer, Mr. Samson Yuma, the district’s annual budget performance for FY 2025/2026 showed mixed results.

“We have so far realized Ugx 21.6 billion out of the current budget of 49.7 billion representing 43.53%. While local revenue performance stands at Ugx 219.77 million out of the Ugx 2.6 billion budgeted, representing 8.3%,” Yuma said.

“Central government transfers were Ugx 20.4 billion out of the total budget of Ugx 42.8 billion, which is 47.7%. Donors’ funds or donors’ support, we have so far received UGX 1.008 billion out of the total of 4.3 billion representing 23.6%. That is the current financial year performance up to 31st October 2025,” he explained.

To improve revenue performance, Yuma highlighted several strategies drawn from the District Development Plan (DDP4), including: Electronic evaluation, assessment, and collection through the Revenue and Social System; enforcement of local revenue mobilization and collection by both political and technical teams; strengthening internal control systems using electronic receipting; regular tax coding, consultations, and reviews; reviewing reserve prices for all revenue sources and enhancing supervision and enforcement at all local government levels.

Hon. Kaijuka Richard Arthur, also highlighted the importance of transitioning from subsistence to commercial agriculture to stimulate income growth.

“Uganda’s economy and most of our people are employed in agriculture. But we must move away from subsistence farming to commercial so that money comes in our pocket,” he said.

Despite the funding cuts and donor withdrawal, district leaders expressed commitment to strengthening local revenue mobilization, enhancing efficiency, and ensuring that the limited resources are optimally utilized to meet the growing demands of both the host and refugee communities.

The annual budget preparation process was conducted in accordance with the Public Finance and Management Regulations (2026). The budget conferences at all levels are convened in accordance with section 7 subsection 1 and 2 (b) of the Public Finance and Management Regulations 2026. The District priorities are done based on submissions from the lower local governments.

END.

By Anzoo Evaline and Bazio Doreen.

25% of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students in West Nile have experienced sexual violence according to a 2025 baseline survey report for the safety and protection of children.

The perpetrators are said to be fellow students, teachers and community members while the main places where violence occurs were cited as: classrooms, school compounds, dormitories/hostels, bushy areas near schools and on outings/tours.

The main drivers of violence against children in schools identified are: economic hardships, parenting gaps, peer pressure, harmful cultural practices as well as drug and alcohol abuse.

The findings also show that: 24.5% and 25.5% of secondary school students had experienced physical and economic violence respectively; only 74.5% schools included child protection in their school development plans; and 25.5% teachers lacked skills on child protection.

While presenting the survey’s findings to key stakeholders from Ma’di Sub Region at the Adjumani District Council Hall on 6^th November 2025, Obong Peter (PhD), the lead researcher said that the aim of the survey was to generate evidence to strengthen child protection in secondary schools and institutions of learning in line with the National Strategic Plan (NSP VACiS 2015–2020).

The survey covered 51 schools, and 1,003 (505 male, 498 female) students across nine West Nile districts of Adjumani, Moyo, Terego, Yumbe, Koboko, Maracha, Madi-Okollo, Obongi, and Arua. Other key informants were Police Officers, District Education Office staff, Teenage mothers, Community Development Officers, and NGOs.

The survey was conducted by the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) and Windle International under the Uganda Secondary Education Expansion Project (USEEP).  

On his part, Dima Robert, the Adjumani District Education Officer, confirmed poor parenting as contributor of violence against school going children urging stakeholders to scale up sensitization and awareness creation.

“Poor parenting is one of the causes of violence among students. Some community activities expose learners to bad peer groups. We need regular parents’ meetings to create awareness on better parenting methods,” Dima stated.

Similarly, Jomaring Japheth Joel, the Head Teacher Idiwa Secondary School in Palorinya Refugee Settlement Obongi district, observed a knowledge gap within both students, and their parents.

 “Financial challenges, early and forced marriages, and girls’ lack of sexual and reproductive health information are contributing factors,” Jomaring said.

Samuel Mpibaza Hashaka, the Resident District Commissioner Obongi is now calling for a joint and concerted effort by all duty bearers and key stakeholders to join the fight against violence that targets school going children.

“We are doing worse than Karamoja and as far as children are concerned, especially those at school and those who are supposed to be at school. And I want to say we are at crisis level early marriages, teenage pregnancies, defilement are the order of the day. So, we have to put our efforts together to make sure we stop this violation of the children’s rights because we, the stakeholders, and the parents are not doing enough,” said Hashaka.

Fortunately, Obong in his report also stressed that protection measures have been put in place to prevent the vice in schools.

“74.5% of schools have integrated child protection in their School Development Plans, Guidance & Counselling stands at (21.7%), VAC sensitization (17.8%) Menstrual Hygiene Management (17.1%), 80% of teachers accessed training in 2024,” Obong stated.

Ocen Julius, the Program Manager, Windle International, also recommended that more capacity building trainings need to be conducted.

  “We need to strengthen capacity building, increase resource allocation to boost funding to support child protection activities and infrastructure, improve reporting and referral systems, support vulnerable learners to introduce counselling, ensure childcare support for teenage mothers, and enhance community and parental engagement to reduce stigma,” Ocen recommended.

Meanwhile, district leaders in the Madi Sub-region praised the Ministry for spearheading the assessment and committed to using the findings to improve the safety and wellbeing of learners. They also pledged to collaborate with MoES, NGOs, and school administrations to close the identified gaps and ensure safe, inclusive, and protective learning environments in all schools.

The dissemination meeting brought together district leaders from Adjumani, Obongi, and Moyo, head teachers, District Education Officers (DEOs), Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs), and education stakeholders. `

END.

By Anzoo Evaline.

Forum For Democratic Change (FDC)‘s Presidential flag bearer for the 2026 general elections, Hon. Nandala Mafabi, has vowed to prioritize economic empowerment by giving 100 million shillings to each village once elected into office.

Mafabi described this initiative as a direct way of putting money into the people’s pockets and improving the living standards of ordinary Ugandans.

While addressing supporters in Adjumani Town on 7^th November 2025, Nandala Mafabi, criticized existing government programs such as the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga, UWEP, and Grow, saying they have only worked to keep Ugandans in poverty.

“My brothers and sisters we have a manifesto, of how to fight these people who are making us poorer so that we have money in our pocket and to improve our education system so that we have educated citizens,” Mafabi said.

Mafabi also noted that many beneficiaries for similar projects like the Parish development Model (PDM) only receive a percentage of the promised shs 1 million because of corruption and bribery.

“I heard some of you got 600,000/= out of the 1 million because of corruption. Programs like Emyooga, PDM, UWEP, GROW make you remain poor because you are suppose to pay back this money as loan. But in my regime, you will not pay back the money,” Mafabi said.

Mafabi’s remarks drew loud applause from residents who said the current government programs have not significantly improved their welfare.

He emphasized that his leadership would prioritize fair distribution of national resources and ensure that citizens directly benefit from the taxes they contribute.

Mafabi also added that “Our mothers and fathers are doing small businesses but they can’t save because they are supposed to pay loans which they have borrowed from groups, even to the money lenders they have sent here intentional, the ones taking your ID as collateral security”.

END.

By Anzoo Evaline.

Human Rights our Concerns, through the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Human Rights program, has held a one-day engagement with leaders of Adjumani District focusing on the perspective of human rights as a development concern.

Okurut Emmanuel Samson, the Program Manager for Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Human Right our Concerns, said the engagement brought together a cross section of leaders and ordinary community members to share conversations surrounding human rights and service delivery.

“So today we have held a one-day engagement with a cross section of leaders in Adjumani District on the perspective of human rights as a development concern. The purpose of the meeting was to bring leaders together to meet with ordinary people and then they share conversation surrounding areas of human rights and service delivery,” Samson said.

He added that the meeting was to foster a renewed action using their different spaces in advancing and promoting human rights at the community level.

Speaking on the national situation, Samson noted that the state of human rights in the country is “sweet sour.”

He added that the meeting was to foster a renewed action using their different spaces in advancing and promoting human rights at the community level.

Samson highlighted challenges such as poor prison conditions, detention facilities being in a sovereign state, and members of the opposition being curtailed from participating in politics, leadership, and decision making.

He then rallied the key stakeholders present to address some of those barriers and take real action to advance and promote Human Rights.

During the engagement, Ecima Paskal, the District Committee member of Human Rights, also raised key concerns about widespread gaps in awareness of human rights among community members.

“There are a lot of challenges we are facing. You know this issue of human rights just come up. Majority of people are not aware of their rights. Under human rights there is a right to own property,” he said.

Paskal added that wrongful detention remains a concern, especially when injured persons are taken to police instead of receiving immediate medical care.

“There are also these issues where people are detained in the police. In that people are incarcerated. Ideally, under human right, if you are injured, you are not supposed to be taken to police. The first thing you must be taken to the health centre or hospital for treatment,” he noted.

He expressed satisfaction that police were represented in the meeting, saying, “Today, I’m very happy because the police have been represented.”

The engagement ended with a collective commitment from leaders and stakeholders to strengthen awareness, address barriers, and enhance the promotion of human rights across Adjumani District.

END.

By Anzoo Evaline.

Adjumani District has joined the rest of the country in the nationwide exercise to recruit Special Polling Constables who will be trained and deployed to support election security during the 2026 general elections. The screening was done on 6^th November 2025 at Paridi Stadium.

According to SP Masembe Herbert, the District Police Commander Adjumani, who is overseeing the recruitment exercise, the district has been allocated 472 slots, open to both men and women, and strictly awarded on merit. However, the turnout so far exceeded expectations, with 1,486 applicants reporting for screening.

“We commenced the exercise of recruiting special polling constables as guided by the Inspector General of Police, the Director, and the RPC. Adjumani was given a quota of 472 participants including both men and women and the qualifications are strictly Primary Seven and above, targeting those aged 25 to 35 years,” SP Masembe said.

The DPC also explained that despite the clear communication of requirements, many people misunderstood the advert, leading to the disqualification of several applicants.

“Some people above 40 years turned up, and they were automatically disqualified because they did not meet the age bracket. Others failed on medical grounds because they could not manage the basic physical exercise we gave them during the interview,” he noted.

Applicants were also required to present a P7 result slip and a recommendation letter from their Local Council, confirming their credibility and suitability for training.

SP Masembe emphasized that the ability to communicate in English was essential since polling constables interact with the public and handle election-related procedures that demand Basic English proficiency.

Although the training for the special polling constables was initially scheduled to begin on 1st November and end on 31st November, police authorities have issued new guidance and the updated training dates will be communicated later.

Despite the high number of applicants, the recruitment team is ensuring a transparent and merit-based selection process. SP Masembe highlighted that priority is being given to women, who turned up in impressive numbers and met the standards set by the police leadership.

“We are carefully selecting those to train, based on merit. Women have come in big numbers, and we want to give them priority as part of strengthening inclusivity in the force,” he said.

The recruitment of special polling constables is part of the national preparation strategy to ensure peaceful, orderly, and well-managed elections in 2026. Adjumani’s successful handling of the large turnout demonstrates the district’s commitment to supporting a credible electoral process.

END.

By Anzoo Evaline.

Adjumani Town Council has held its annual budget conference on 5th November 2025, during which leaders approved the Revenue and Expenditure Budget for the Financial Year 2026/2027, signaling a renewed commitment to improving service delivery and strengthening local revenue management.

The budget discussion, attended by council members, technical officers, and representatives from various community sectors, Implementing Partners, highlighted both the achievements and gaps experienced in the previous financial year. According to figures presented during the conference, the council projected total revenue of Shs. 1,532,987,887, comprising: Local Revenue of Shs. 1,017,530,083 (66.4%); Government Grants of Shs. 514,987,804 (33.6%) and other revenues of Shs. 1,532,987,887 (100%)

On the expenditure side, the council approved a total of Shs. 50,885,933 for key operations, reflecting strategic allocation towards departments that directly influence town management and community welfare.

The major areas of focus for key priorities for FY 2026/2027 aim at enhancing efficiency, improving office functionality, and boosting revenue collection.

Eriku Patrick Keleture, the acting Town Clerk, emphasized that the upcoming financial year will focus heavily on strengthening local revenue systems, ensuring compliance among businesses, and improving the working environment for staff.

The procurement of a new motorcycle and repair of existing ones was particularly highlighted as a strategic investment to improve fieldwork efficiency, enabling revenue officers to reach more areas within the council for mobilization and sensitization.

“The proposed budget uh for next financial year is 1,017,530,083. That stands at 66.4%. And we have some government grants and on the revenue sources, there are very many such as local hotel tax, local service tax, we have the gate collection fee from the markets, the taxi parks, Leisure Park, Market lock ups, property Tax and many more”, said the Town Clerk.

Dipio Santa, an Accounts Assistant attached to Adjumani Town council highlighted the achievements and the challenges of the town council during revenue mobilization.

“The key achievements in finance department includes the following: prepared and submitted final accounts to the office of auditor general, the taxpayers register and assessments are ongoing. The Local revenue for last financial year was collected despite other challenges about 65% was collected. We procured two laptop computers and one colored printer,” Santa said.

She noted that “Despite our collection for last financial year, we have other challenges as finance department which includes the following insufficiency funds for completion of council plan activities, outstanding lock up rent, which is one of our sources of revenue, staffing gap, lack of transport for revenue mobilization as said by my supervisor”.

She added “We have mobile hawkers; they are threat to our traders. Net turnover of business closer is also increasing. The introduction of new method of collecting revenue using in integrated revenue administrative system that is the IRAS. By the government is still a challenge to our taxpayers, especially bank charges. Like when you generate payment reference number to a trader and you tell the person to go and pay, the bank charge itself is on the trader, not on the council’s money”.

Santa therefore recommendations for “Vigorous revenue mobilization Enforcement of all tax defaulters we recommend for recruitment of the remaining account staff, enforcement of district security committee, directives on mobile hawkers and coding in Adjumani district,”.

Leaders also underscored the importance of continued community engagement, noting that effective revenue generation depends on citizen cooperation and understanding of council programs.

Hon. Mangapi Lawrence, the Town Mayor, applauded the team for the collaborative spirit shown during the budgeting process. He noted that while revenue collections have been steadily improving, the new financial year will demand even more innovation to ensure sustainability and timely execution of projects.

“Mind is to appreciate all of you for sacrificing your time which you’re supposed to use to do something to help family but you decided to spend it with us which I can’t take it for granted because clearly shows team work,” said Mangapi.

He further assured residents that the approved budget reflects the town council’s commitment to transparency and prioritizing expenditures that directly benefit the community.

“Today’s activity is a clear reflection of the council’s committee, meaning that we have been working and we shall continue to work,” he stressed.

With the FY 2026/2027 budget now approved, Adjumani Town Council is set for another year of targeted development interventions aimed at enhancing urban management and improving the quality of life for residents under the theme “Full monetization of Uganda’s economy through commercial agriculture, industrialization, expanding and broadening services, digital transformation and market access.

END.

By Anzoo Evaline.

Aspiring candidates for both the Parliamentary and District Chairperson seats in Adjumani have appealed to the District Returning Officer (RO) and the District Security Committee to ensure transparency, fairness, and equal treatment of all contestants during the upcoming 2026 general election campaign rallies scheduled to start on 10th Nov. 2025 during the harmonization of the campaign roadmap.

The appeal was made during a consultative meeting held on Monday 27^th October 2025 convened by the Adjumani District Returning Officer to harmonize the campaign roadmap at Lavic Resort Hotel, where candidates, electoral officials, and security representatives gathered to discuss the coordination of campaign activities ahead of the 2026 general elections.

Several aspirants expressed concern over past experiences in which some candidates were allegedly favored with more convenient campaign schedules and security deployment, creating tension among contenders and their supporters. They emphasized that this time, all candidates should be given equal access to venues, security escorts, and campaign dates to promote a peaceful and credible electoral process.

Speaking on behalf of the aspirants, Hon. Tandrupasi Patrick called for transparency and fairness in the entire electoral process.

 “You talk of being non-partisan, let this communication be true and should be exercised. Because in most cases, we realize in the field when we are now campaigning, most of the candidates on opposition side will be treated not equally. We have a lot of examples. And here you talk of not campaigning in the institutions, you have left out prisons. There are people who will be barred out actually out to go and campaign that side and there are people who will be accepted to go and campaign in the prisons. Let it be equal to everybody”, Tandrupasi said.

Hon. Kaijuka Arthur Richard, who represented Hon. Anyama Ben, who is contesting on the independent ticket for the District Chairperson seat, also urged the security team, particularly the police, to treat every candidate equally regardless of their political party.

“You might have known from history what Adjumani is when it comes to election. They labelled it to be a hotspot. And it’s being hotspot is normally created by the players. One of the players is your office RO, for which we want to say first of all, thank you for calling this meeting meaning that you are now trying to arrange what is supposed to be done transparently. But let it be so. Thank God that the person who came to represent the DPC is here and the DISO. Incidentally, the DISO is not there and the DPC is not there”, Hon. Kaijuka narrated.

He added that “Madam R.O. and the members here, in some years back, the same DISO who is right now here was used to rig election. And he’s here. We lost human beings, candidates. Houses were burned. And it was because of election malpractices. We pray. You play your role. Each and every person here plays his or her role. Because we don’t want to lose lives. In elections all animals are equal and we must guide. You talked of yourself OC station. You talked by yourself. Let us do what we are saying”.

Hon. Draga Gasper, one of the candidates for the Adjumani West Constituency Member of Parliament seat, appealed to the security team and electoral officials to remain neutral and professional throughout the campaign period.

“Many people talked have about Adjumani being a hot spot. There is a say that history normally repeat itself. But it can at times be dodged. The security people talked very well. I believe they will really go by that. Indeed, this is a hot spot. There has been a lot of allegations. Some of us never contested during primary election. But we have been hearing what has been going on the radio and I’m requesting you, the stakeholders, to manage this election very perfectly. So that we can end up with a united Adjumani than dividing us”, Draga said.

In response, the District Returning Officer, Akao Eunice Christine, assured the candidates that her office would not support or Favor any candidate regardless of their political affiliation.

“When you look at the last general elections, there were coded forms. They came from the field and when you put the information into the system, it would either accept or reject. So, I believe the same method will be used during the last general election is going to be the same. But also, we have an opportunity at every polling station. The declaration forms are left at every polling station. Every aspiring candidate is allowed to have two agents at a polling station”, said Akao.

Odong Raymond, the Officer in Charge of Adjumani Central Police Station who represented the DPC, also pledged full cooperation, promising fairness for all candidates during their campaign rallies and urging them to follow the established procedures.

 “You talk of mistreatment of opposition by security forces. Ideally, I don’t think whether you are mistreated or not. I think this is the 30^th general elections I’m policing since I joined police. I pray for the best that everyone should be treated equally. And for you to be treated equally also, you also must listen to the guidelines”, Odong said.

The meeting concluded with an agreement that the harmonized campaign roadmap for each candidate would be shared publicly once finalized, marking a significant step toward a peaceful and orderly election season in Adjumani District.

END.

By Anzoo Evaline.

A delegation of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) partners and associates led by the Danish Ambassador have extended the Women Uganda 2025+ campaign to Adjumani.

The extension was incorporated into a high-level field monitoring visit to the Strengthening Adolescents and Youth (SAY) Project that took place on Friday 24^th October 2025.

The Women Uganda 2025+ campaign is a collaboration launched by female Heads of Missions from Denmark, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, UN Women, and UNFPA. The campaign aims to transform policy and practice through the active involvement of progressive men acting as male change makers.

The joint monitoring visit demonstrated a unified commitment to the Women Uganda 2025+ campaign by emphasizing the crucial role of male engagement in advancing gender equality and addressing issues such as teenage pregnancy and gender-based violence (GBV).

The high level delegation included: Her Excellency Signe Winding Albjerg – the Ambassador of Denmark to Uganda; Ms. Kristine Blokhus – the UNFPA Country Representative; the Royal Danish Embassy’s Male Change Maker, Dr. Jimmy Spire Ssentongo – academic, acclaimed cartoonist, and Human Rights Activist, as well as the UNFPA Male Champion, Don Zan Muwanguzi, a Mental Health Activist and Founder of Awesome Mind Speaks.

During his opening remark, the District Chairman, Hon. Anyama Ben, appreciated the government of Denmark for always having Uganda at heart more so Adjumani district and also applauded the Ambassador for always loving Adjumani in particular.

He further urged the donors to continue supporting the district in different ways since its one the biggest refugees hosting district with nineteen settlements of about over 230,600 refugees.

“I want thank the government of Denmark for loving Uganda, and especially the Ambassador H.E. Singe for always coming in person when there’s activity taking place in Adjumani and also my sister Kristine for UNFPA. The Danish Embassy has helped us the people of Adjumani a lot especially during this period where UNHCR is withdrawing its support for the refugees and we all know that these people don’t have land for cultivating since the land given for them is very small so thank you very much Ambassador”, said Anyama.

While highlighting the success of the SAY project in the different sectors in the district, the Principal Chief Administrative Officer of Adjumani District, Mr. Edema Richard, said, “In the area of sexual reproductive health rights that is affecting adolescent, youth, and women. And therefore, we are trying to push this together for both the host community and the refugee population. But the fact is, we want to thank the people of Denmark for contributing their own taxpayer’s money to address the challenge facing at Adjumani District Local Government”.

“And particularly, the population for both the host and the refugees and targeting women, youth, adolescent in areas of addressing challenges like teenage pregnancy which is high in Adjumani district. High level of GBV in Adjumani district local government. So, we are trying to address this together to make sure that we reduce this”, Edema added.

He added that “underway project or program we have tried to address these challenges during the time of the entry of the refugee population in 2013 up to 2024. We use that resources appropriately. We tried our level best to reduce some of these cases, but allow me put it here. We still have high level of teenage pregnancies. We have high level of GBV cases still existing. And therefore, we are here to make sure that we use these resources under the say program to address some of these challenges still remaining through the youth clubs, through the school clubs, health clubs to make sure that we address some of these challenges facing us”.

H.E. Ambassador Albjerg highlighted the Royal Danish Embassy’s commitment through its partnership with Dr. Spire Ssentongo, who will use his expertise to create positive messages promoting gender equality, focusing on women in leadership, teenage pregnancy, and women’s rights.

“We do work with a lot of partners, but whatever we do, we need the commitment of the local government and the communities in which we work. Otherwise, all the efforts will be in vain. And I’m always happy to come to Adjumani to experience the very strong commitment from the Adjumani district local government at all levels to this course.  And I also can never come to Adjumani without commending the local government and the communities for being very generous and hosting of refugees”, Amb. Albjerg said.

“We know that you have close to more than 230,637 refugees more than the host communities here. And that is in no way something that can be taken for granted that you continue to host the refugees in such a generous a respectful manner. We know that you are under immense pressure at the moment, financially and with increasing inflows”, she added.

On the campaign, H.E. Singe further stressed that “We are here as part of a campaign. We call it Women Uganda 2025+. You may wonder what that means. But it is an attempt to put an emphasis on the rights and opportunities of women in Uganda, but to try to do it from a slightly different angle. We realized that we were mainly talking to women, and were almost creating a situation where women became the enemies of men.  Young women became the enemies of young men in terms of power struggle and attention. And we don’t see that is a very productive way of going forward,”

Meanwhile, the SAY Programme plays a vital role in increasing access to and utilization of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) services for young people aged 10–24, including those in refugee settlements and host communities.

The Strengthening Adolescents and Youth (SAY) Programme is a vital initiative focused on increasing access to and utilization of SRHR and SGBV services for young people, including those in refugee settlements, across five districts in Uganda.

Ms. Kristine Blokhus, UNFPA Country Representative, emphasized the strategic alignment of the initiative.

“The SAY Programme is a model for integrated development and humanitarian support. The inclusion of our male champions alongside the Ambassador ensures that we are actively engaging men and boys as allies to accelerate progress toward ending GBV and achieving zero preventable maternal deaths and zero unmet need for family planning,” Blokhus said.

Romney Blessing, a member of Alere Secondary School Health club, said that “When I heard about the school Health club. I joined it, and the club really impacted me a lot. It gave me the right. I have the right to speak in front of people to express my feeling, to speak in public, and take good decision for myself and for the school and for everybody in the school,”

Mawut Thon Mawut, one of the role model boys, highlighted the impact of the project on the youths within the settlements and the host communities.

“Actually, in our community men for them they just to stay at home. They don’t do anything. While women, they are the one doing house work like cooking. For us men in our tribe we don’t cook. You just wait for the food. You come and eat. And if there’s no food, you’ll end up beating the wife. At least now there’s change in our community,” said Mawut.

Mawut also explained that “previously people used to fight every day and night. But nowadays there’s a reduction of violence. Boys they are seriously helping their sisters. Seeing the culture where we came from, boys are not supposed to do house works. But since this program came in, at least 50% of the population are now understanding,”.

Kabange Eva, 25, a mother of three children and refugee from Alere settlement narrated her experience before and after the project.

“My husband used to beat me almost every day but when the role model men went to advise him, we are now having peace at home. Previously, our men are not helping us even you are sick or pregnant because they say after all I have paid fifty cows for your bride price and you must work because there is a culture of parents marrying off their young girls to get more cattle but now it’s not too much and at least our men are also accompanying us to the health centers for antenatal and even when we are sick they take us for treatment and also do house work sometimes”, Eva narrated.

Droma William, a member of role model men, who is a Ugandan and a beneficiary of the SAY project said that “Before this project came, we don’t interact with the refuges like today, we don’t associate So, I thank the government of Denmark support and for bringing this project to us. Because you can see really there are changes amount from before this project came, we used to fight with our brothers and wives and now the fighting level instability between us dropped from 80% to now 30%.  So, thank you very much, especially the implementing partner. I wish you continue to support us so that there will be total co-existing between the host communities and the refugees,”.

The interactions with the Ambassador, the UNFPA Representative, and the acclaimed activists were intended to inspire and challenge young boys and girls to become agents of change. The visit enhanced visibility for the Women Uganda 2025+ campaign and generated compelling content to strengthen advocacy efforts, aligning with the focus on girls’ leadership and the role of male champions in communities.

END.