Several underage girls in Sop Sop Sub-county, Tororo District, are trading school uniforms for motherhood. Instead of sitting in classrooms, many are carrying babies or expecting their first child, a crisis that local leaders warn is robbing an entire generation of its future.
The concern follows new district statistics showing that 47 per cent of teenage girls in Sop Sop Sub-county are either pregnant or have already given birth. The figure is more than double Tororo District’s average of 22 per cent and significantly higher than the national average of about 24 per cent.
The alarming trend has prompted renewed calls from local leaders, health officials and youth advocates for expanded access to contraceptives for sexually active adolescents, alongside stronger community interventions to tackle the root causes of teenage pregnancy.
When Moses Owor assumed office as LC III Chairperson of Sop Sop Sub-county just over a month ago, he was unusually struck by the high number of teenagers wandering through villages during school hours. Many of them, he says, were visibly pregnant. Concerned by what he was seeing, Owor embarked on monitoring visits to schools across the sub-county to establish why so many children were absent from class. His findings, he says, exposed a community facing a crisis that extends beyond teenage girls.
Owor says teenage pregnancy is often viewed as a problem affecting girls alone, yet boys are increasingly becoming victims as well. Several boys have reportedly dropped out of school or fled their homes after impregnating girls, cutting short their education while exposing themselves to legal and social consequences.
Youth advocates attribute the high pregnancy rate to a combination of poverty, gender-based violence, limited access to sexual and reproductive health information, and deeply entrenched cultural practices.
Eric Okello, Executive Director of TDYAN Youth Voices and Action Network Uganda (TDYAN YOVANU), says Sop Sop is not an isolated case. Several rural sub-counties in Tororo continue to register high teenage pregnancy rates, although communities that have introduced local by-laws are beginning to record improvements.
According to Okello, poverty remains one of the biggest drivers of teenage pregnancy, leaving many vulnerable girls exposed to transactional sex as they struggle to meet basic needs. He also points to gender-based violence and traditional night funeral fundraising events, locally known as “Mapotho Gichiki,” where young people often spend the night without adequate supervision, increasing their exposure to risky sexual behaviour.
While abstinence remains an important message, Okello argues that it cannot be the only response to the crisis. He says the reality on the ground is that some adolescents are already sexually active and therefore require access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services, including contraceptives, to prevent unintended pregnancies.
Okello says health rights advocates are engaging Tororo District leaders to develop policies that would allow sexually active adolescents and teenage mothers to access family planning services without fear of stigma or discrimination.
The proposal, he says, seeks to establish adolescent-friendly health facilities where young people can access confidential reproductive health services in a safe and supportive environment.
Health officials acknowledge that teenage pregnancy remains one of Tororo District’s most pressing public health and development challenges.
Sr. Connie Bwire, the Assistant District Health Officer for Tororo District, says the district has intensified community sensitisation through the End Teenage Pregnancy Campaign 2026, a programme targeting adolescents, parents, teachers and community leaders with information on the consequences of early pregnancy and strategies for prevention.
Bwire says the district has also rolled out parenting programmes aimed at strengthening communication between parents and their children on sexuality and reproductive health. Beyond awareness campaigns, the district is encouraging sub-counties to enact by-laws and ordinances to curb practices that expose adolescents to sexual exploitation. She cites Petta Sub-county as a success story after local leaders introduced regulations requiring funeral fundraising activities to be held during the day instead of at night.
According to Bwire, the change significantly reduced opportunities for risky behaviour among young people and contributed to a decline in teenage pregnancy cases.
Okello believes the model can be replicated in Sop Sop. He notes that the by-law not only regulates community gatherings but also protects girls seeking reproductive health services by criminalising acts of violence against women, daughters and girls who access contraceptives.
As stakeholders debate expanding contraceptive access for adolescents, local leaders agree that reversing the trend will require a comprehensive approach rather than a single intervention.
They argue that tackling poverty, keeping children in school, strengthening parental responsibility, enforcing protective by-laws and ensuring access to youth-friendly reproductive health services must work together if Sop Sop is to reduce its soaring teenage pregnancy rate-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
