Health
Address Drivers of Non-compliance to COVID-19 Guidelines, Researchers Urge Government
By Joseph Odoi
Makerere University researchers and local leaders have asked government and other key stakeholders in refugee management to address community drivers of non-compliance to COVID-19 guidelines as increased cases continue to be registered across the country.
This call was made at the dissemination event of a study conducted by Makerere University titled Refugee Lived Experiences, Compliance and Thinking (REFLECT) in COVID-19. The REFLECT dissemination was undertaken at multiple sites in Kisenyi (Kampala), Kyaka II Refugee Settlement (Kyegegwa) and Adjumani (West Nile) on 14th December 2020.
The REFLECT study observed that compliance levels around COVID-19 guidelines drastically declined between May-August 2020 and continue going down despite increased infections from community transmission. The stakeholders at this event cautioned that addressing the drivers of non-compliance was necessary in light of the overwhelmed health system, currently ongoing political campaigns and massive social gatherings in the Christmas season and beyond.
Since March 2020 the Uganda government and its partners have conducted a fairly successful awareness campaign on the prevention of COVID-19. However, this knowledge has not translated into sustainable behavioural change and while there was strict observance of COVID-19 at the start of the pandemic, compliance has drastically dropped due to a number of reasons. This is why all prevention efforts should now focus on addressing the barriers to non-compliance as the country enters into the second wave and peak period of COVID-19 transmissions.
A study conducted from among 2,092 people in refugee settlements in Uganda has found a serious disconnect between the high knowledge levels and levels of compliance with the recommended COVID-19 preventive measures. A total of 13 settlements were considered for this study including Kisenyi in Kampala, Kyaka II in Kyegegwa district and 11 settlements in Adjumani district, West Nile.
Presenting findings of the study at Kyaka II Refugee Settlement in Kyegegwa, South-Western Uganda, the research team led by Dr Gloria Seruwagi observed that compliance levels had declined over time (between March/April and July/August); unfortunately coinciding with increasing number of COVID-19 cases and deaths.
Inappropriate use of masks was found prevalent in some of the study sites – including sharing of masks, and only wearing them when the refugees meet the Police. Researchers say these practices constitute a source of risk for infection, rather than being protective.
Scarcity of Facemasks
Sifa Mubalama, a Woman Councillor in Kyaka II while speaking to study investigators at Kyaka II Refugee Settlement in Kyegegwa, South-Western Uganda late last year, revealed that there is non-compliance to COVID-19 guidelines due to inadequate masks and materials at the settlement.
“We were all given one mask each in Kyaka II settlement which you have to wash often and use again, hence becoming too old getting torn after some time. There is also inconsistent supply of soap and water. Because of this, some of the community members have not been washing their hands consistently’’ Mubalama revealed.
According to Mubalama, each family gets Shs. 22,000 every month, which is she says is not adequate to sustain the families. As a result, majority refugees go out in the communities to do manual work, to supplement on the income citing that this puts their lives at risk of COVID-19 infection.
Mubalama further contends that children in the settlements were not adhering to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) because their parents were not.
“It would be easier to implement these guidelines if the parents were adhering to them. Because the parents are not adhering to the guidelines, most children are also not. It’s really important that if we are to implement the SOPs, it should start from the parent,” she said.
According to Happy Peter Christopher, the Kyegegwa Sub County Speaker, ever since the lockdown restrictions were eased, the refugees abandoned following the COVID-19 guidelines like social distancing, wearing masks, sanitizing or frequent washing of hands with soap.
“People are not putting on masks and are careless. Refugees also buy food from the nationals and there are intermarriages. So, the spread of COVID-19 is very possible. For us we would like, if possible, to ask government to bring back the total lockdown so that we are protected”.
He also reported that, up to now, some areas in Kyegegwa had still not received the government distributed masks and called upon government to deliver masks to all refugees and also add more efforts in enforcing SOPs.
It is against this background that researchers at Makerere University and local leaders have appealed to government and other stakeholders in the refugee management to address the community drivers of non-compliance to COVID-19 guidelines as cases continue to surge in Kyaka II refugee settlement in the South Western district of Kyegegwa.
Government has been asked to address the drivers of non-compliance, as a necessity in light of the overwhelmed health system, by the currently ongoing political campaigns and the massive social gatherings during the festivities.
Dr. Misaki Wayengera the Chairperson of the Scientific Advisory Committee on the COVID-19 Taskforce in the Ministry of Health explained why some districts did not get enough masks, saying there was an urgency to distribute to candidates returning to school.
“We intended to distribute masks to the entire 139 districts of Uganda. However, this was not possible because we opened up schools. As the Ministry [of Health], we had to negotiate with the Ministry of Education to prioritise the candidate students who were going to school; every student receiving 2 masks. As a result, we have not been able to distribute masks across the entire country,” he explained.
According to Dr. Wayengera, there is a need for all stakeholders dealing with refugees to appreciate that they are equally susceptible to COVID-19 like any other person.
“In terms of providing support, we must ensure that we provide things like masks, soap, sanitizers and also educational materials around the SOPs,” he said.
Adding that; “there are targeted efforts to make sure that we roll out Rapid Diagnostic Tests to make sure that we can screen the populations especially as children go back to school, we screen them but most importantly know who is infected and pull them out from the community”.
Discussion of Study Results
Dr. Gloria Seruwagi, also the Principal Investigator notes that whereas more than half (about 60 percent) of the members of the refugee community are well informed about COVID-19; up to 40% were found to have knowledge gaps on the nature, transmission, symptoms and dangers of COVID-19.
The study results also showed that between 1-40% of the refugee population across the different study sites adopt at least one risk behaviour likely to lead to transmission of COVID-19 including behaviours related to hygiene and social interactions including related to hygiene, congestion, and physical activity.
While men appeared more knowledgeable about the virus compared to women and children, women were found to be more compliant than men. Also, refugees who were Muslims were more compliant to COVID-19 guidelines compared to their Christian counterparts while younger refugees appeared more knowledgeable about COVID-19 than the elderly.
A wide knowledge gap was found among the children and adolescents, with up to 75% not fully knowledgeable on causes, transmission, risk/protective factors and management of Covid-19.
The Myths
Study results show that refugee communities had a belief that Africans have immunity against COVID-19; and that COVID-19 is not real but is instead a fabrication of scientists and politicians; and that their religious faith would protect them.
On threats and opportunities towards compliance, social media and the diaspora were reported as the key knowledge agents among refugee communities whose effect is divisive by simultaneously encouraging both compliance and non-compliance.
While a lot of information about COVID-19 has been provided by government and other stakeholders including implementing partners from civil society, UN bodies and local leadership, researchers revealed that children, youths and s the elderly and people with disabilities were not particularly targeted with appropriate information; and had largely not been reached.
Children and COVID-19
During the investigations, researchers found that despite government and other key and agencies churning out COVID-19 related information, it largely focused on adults and missed out children and adolescents.
“The fact that they (children and adolescents) have not been targeted means that no one has even given them masks. The masks which are on the market are all big and if a child wears it, it is going to fall down. We decided to channel some of the study resources into making customised and re-usable masks for some of the older children,” explains Dr. Gloria Seruwagi.
Behavioural change messages needed
The REFLECT study team observed during the study that there was a great and urgent need for engaging leadership at all levels as well as developing Behavioral change messages to positively influence behavior.
During the dissemination exercise, the REFLECT Study Team donated masks to support the refugees “walk the compliance talk” in the fight against COVID-19.
The study team physically sensitised and demonstrated to the refugees on proper wearing of masks. They strongly discouraged the improper use of masks including “chin” masking, partial masking, inconsistent masking, sharing of masks as well as wearing ill-fitting masks.
On the whole, researchers applauded government and development partners’ efforts on undertaking a largely successful awareness campaign around COVID-19.
They note however that this awareness has not translated into positive change, emphasising the need for more effort towards behavioural change, building on from the COVID awareness campaign.
The research team recommends thus;
- Government and all stakeholders should focus on addressing the drivers of non-compliance and enforcement fatigue. These drivers include:
- Reviewing the feasibility of interventions: Guidelines like physical distancing are not feasible in crowded refugee settings and need to be revisited. For crowded settings emphasis needs to be put on some guidelines and not others, for example handwashing and consistently wearing fitting face masks instead of physical distancing or sanitizing.
- Debunk myths and negative perceptions: Majority of the community has not fully bought into the seriousness of COVID-19 and think it is not only a joke but is also a political and monetary ploy advanced by politicians, some scientists, supremacists or population control enthusiasts. These myths need to be debunked and instead replaced with factual information about COVID-19.
- More profiling of COVID-19 trends and cases should be undertaken for behavioural change impact. This is because more than 90% of study participants had not seen a single COVID case. However, stigma and other potentially related dilemmas should be carefully managed.
- Leaders, implementers and enforcers of COVID-19 guidelines should be consistent and “walk the talk”. This is especially needed now with the political campaign season where masses are gathering and politicians are not leading by example.
- The issue of livelihoods and food security must be resolved as a key bottleneck to compliance.
- Culture: Local leaders, cultural leaders and grassroots organisations should be recognised and engaged more in behavioural change campaigns – for instance to engage their communities identify alternative social norms for greetings, for showing love and kindness etc., without put their lives at risk.
- The timeliness and critical role of the recently launched 2020 Community Health Engagement Strategy (CES) should be leveraged whereby:
- Local health system capacity is strengthened to effectively take up the implementation and enforcement of SOPs for COVID-19 prevention.
- Community health systems and other enforcement structures are equipped with knowledge, skills, supplies and adequate infrastructure.
- Key sociodemographic factors and COVID-19 risk should guide tailored impact messaging and other interventions.
- Children, adolescents and youth should be effectively targeted in COVID-19 interventions. They need awareness, products (e.g. fitting face masks), visibility, voice and protection from the effects of COVID-19 including being witnesses and victims of different forms of violence.
- The awareness message found high among adults should be reinforced and consolidated – equitably this time.
“We believe that these are low-cost interventions but which will bring about high impact in a very short time and reverse not only the trend of COVID-19 transmission but also its negative effects across the health socioeconomic spectrum” Dr Seruwagi said.
Kyegegwa Authorities Speak Out
Jethro Aldrine, the Kyegegwa District Assistant Resident District Commissioner said government was committed to inclusive dissemination of information on MOH SOPs in order to mitigate the spread of the pandemic.
“As the COVID-19 district task force, we move from door to door to sensitize people on COVID-19 including children,” he disclosed.
He also noted that government was also sensitising the masses through radio stations to create awareness that COVID-19 is real and needs to be prevented. He thanked the REFLECT Project for carrying out the study that will help the district fight the current pandemic.
At a radio talk show conducted jointly with the study team, district officials and refugee community leaders, Mr Thomas Mugweri the Surveillance Officer in the District Health Office of Kyegegwa District Local Government also thanked the REFLECT Study Team for giving it new direction.
“While we as a district have been massively sensitizing on awareness, now we know that people are not using the message they know about COVID. We are now going to start using all our behavioural change techniques to make sure that we bring out the desired behavioural change,” observed Mugweri
He urged the politicians to stop recklessly endangering the masses by calling them to campaign rallies and instead called upon them to donate masks and lead by example through observing COVID SOPs during their campaigns.
Youth Voices on COVID-19 in Refugee Settings
As part of increasing the visibility and voice of young people in COVID-19, the REFLECT Study organised an engagement session with children, adolescents and youth during the dissemination. The engagement sessions were led by Francis Kinuthia Kariuki and Grace Ssekasala of Centre for Health and Social Economic Improvement (CHASE-i) who were supported by Catherine Nakidde Lubowa and Dr Gloria Seruwagi the study PI.
During this exercise, the REFLECT Team discussed Coronavirus and it emerged that a number of issues are affecting the children and youth which needed to be addressed alongside COVID-19 prevention. Most critical, children and adolescents reported defilement, rape – leading to teenage pregnancies and a lot of other SRH challenges that affected their sexual health.
Many confessed they lacked information on menstruation hygiene products which citing that some of their families could not afford. Others decried inaccessibility of contraception despite being sexually active and access to youth-friendly counselling on SRH matters affecting them.
Both male and female youths agreed that the high level of teenage pregnancies has been attributed to high poverty levels and being out of school. ‘’Sex is being used as a tool for economic gain and survival. This is not limited to the girl child only – two cases were reported where boys are being married by older women who lure them with money and soft life’’ explained Mr. Francis Kinuthia from his engagement with adolescent boys and youth.
Mental health issues were reported to be affecting adolescents largely boys who expressed worry about their future especially, now, that schools had been closed, and they are in a foreign country.
Increasing crime rates were also reported and, following unemployment plus school closure, majority youths especially males have now resorted to drugs and substance abuse.
In regard to COVID-19 the adolescents in general reported that they had experienced the negative effect of the pandemic in their lives such as reduction on monthly hand-outs, harassment by police and enforcers of COVID -19 guidelines, increased domestic violence, SGBV, teenage pregnancy, increased levels of drug and substance abuse, poor mental health and high cost of living among others.
Asked what could be done to solve some the challenges they were facing; youth recommended the following;
- Establishment of skill development centres to empower them and make them less dependent on hand-outs
- Creation of employment opportunities by authorities
- Identification, support and nurturing talent among them refugees and youths
- Constant supply of sanitary towels/pads and other SRH products including contraception
- Health education on contraception methods and having in place youth-friendly services at health facilities
- Continuous awareness campaign on COVID-19 which involve youth and punitive policies or by-laws to severely punish the perpetrators of teenage pregnancies, rape and child marriages.
The dissemination attracted members of the academia from Makerere, Gulu and other universities, central and district Government representatives, Refugee Representatives including their leadership from OPM, Refugee Welfare Committees (RWC), Village Health Teams (VHT), Youth, Women and Sub-County representatives, local politicians, Development and Implementing Partners like Save the Children, Red Cross Society, UNHCR, Nsamizi Institute for Social Development and the Private Sector.
Research Team
The REFLECT Study is funded by Elrha/R2HC (Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises) supported by UKAID, Wellcome and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The Study Team is led by Dr. Gloria Seruwagi.
The full team has Prof. Stephen Lawoko of Gulu University, Dr. Denis Muhangi, Dr. Eric Awich Ochen, Dr. Betty Okot all from Makerere University, Andrew Masaba of Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Dunstan Ddamulira from Agency for Cooperation and Research in Development (ACORD and John Mary Ssekate from the National Association of Social Workers of Uganda (NASWU) Others are Brian Luswata and Joshua Kayiwa all from the Ministry of Health and Catherine Nakidde Lubowa, the Project Coordinator.
Article originally posted on MakSPH
The two-day 2nd Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Health Africa Conference that kicked off today in the Main Hall, Makerere University has been described as not being about technology but about people – the vulnerable communities bearing the burden of infectious diseases and other health challenges – and the promise AI holds as a panacea. Officially opened by Hon. Dr. Monica Musenero, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation the conference will be held under the theme “Setting AI for Sustainable and Inclusive Health Systems in Africa”.
Africa Must Enter the ‘Evil Forest’
In her now characteristic style of speaking from the heart, Hon. Dr. Musenero observed that Africa has from the first industrial revolution to the current fourth and impending fifth industrial revolutions experienced emotions ranging from non-recognition, rejection and skepticism to the current consumption with awe. This current emotion, though receptive unlike previous ones, continues to position Africa at a disadvantage economically, she noted.
“We are positioning ourselves to disadvantage in skill; we have positioned ourselves at the consumption end and we’ve stood in awe of this technology,” she observed, using the example of the amount of admiration a user who whips out the latest iPhone 17 attracts from those around them. “We respect you for your iPhone 17, but I would be happier if you were able to design and manufacture iPhone 5” intimated Hon. Dr. Musenero.
The Minister urged fellow scientists to wake up to the realization that the future of Africa lies in their hands. “We can no longer be passive participants, we can no longer reside on the shallow end of science; we must be willing, as I said when I was here last week, to enter the ‘evil forest’”.
The ‘evil forest’ is Hon. Dr. Musenero’s analogy of Africa’s perception of current technology ecosystem drawing parallels with scenes often dramatized by Nigerian Movies. She notes that though depicted in these movies as scary and potentially dangerous, the ‘evil forest’ is loaded with hidden treasures, necessitating resilience and wisdom for one to navigate the pitfalls until they discover the treasure trove. Upon discovery, the value of this treasure has the potential to turn around the fortunes of the family, community or entire kingdom. Entering the ‘evil forest’ therefore, is her way of encouraging scientists to go beyond adapting imported technology for local use to understanding how it works enough to develop homegrown solutions.
Building AI Capacity through Synergy
Representing the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, the Academic Registrar, Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi concurred with Hon. Dr. Musenero that Uganda needs to accelerate investment capacity in AI, if it is to be used as tool to manage health challenges. He nevertheless underlined the steps Makerere has undertaken to close the gaps by hosting units such as the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), AI and Health Lab, Innovation Pod, while working with various partners.
“We want to renew our commitment that we shall continue to translate our research findings into service delivery and products that improve the livelihoods of our people,” pledged Prof. Buyinza, who also noted that this will be undertaken within institutional ethical guidelines and policies, bolstered by good practices and recommendations arising from the conference.
Taking cognizance of contributions of various partners to strides made so far, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, Dr. Aminah Zawedde who was represented by Mr. Ambrose Ruyooka, the Ministry’s Head of Department of Research and Development, thanked the Makerere University AI Health Lab, IDI, Health AI for All Network, the Research and Innovation Fund, the African Population and Health Research Centre, and the Mastercard Foundation for convening the second edition of the conference.
“This year’s theme aligns perfectly with Uganda’s digital transformation vision. It reminds us that while innovation is powerful, true progress lies in ensuring it is equitable, ethical, locally relevant, and accessible to all” read Dr. Zawedde’s remarks.
She noted that when used responsibly, AI empowers healthcare workers to do more with greater precision and efficiency while extending services to under-served communities, essentially amplifying their impact whilst preserving the essential human touch that defines care. Dr. Zawedde reiterated the Government of Uganda’s commitment to positioning AI as a catalyst for national development and improved service delivery through the national AI governance framework. “By the end of 2025, we expect to reach a decision on whether to adopt a comprehensive AI policy or a flexible, sector-led regulatory approach.”
Referring to projects already underway at the College of Computing and Information Sciences (CoCIS), the Principal, Prof. Tonny Oyana underscored the great promise AI holds for not only improving affordability but also diagnosis of disease. He nevertheless called for targeted investment in data centres so as to build the required capacity to process the large amount of data that AI thrives on.
The Executive Director IDI and conference Co-Chair, Dr. Andrew Kambugu described the conference timing as “impeccable”. Citing a recently convened conference on Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases that discussed Universal Health Coverage, he shared “there are people in this country who are one step away from disaster because of health.”
He therefore paid tribute to his conference Co-Chair, Dr. Rose Nakasi, whose AI-automation work with the light microscope, one of game-changing inventions in human medicine to-date, has improved precision, accuracy and efficiency in diagnosis of malaria, tuberculosis and cancer in healthcare facilities. Dr. Kambugu therefore urged his audience to always be eager to learn about the capabilities game changing tools such as AlphaFold.
“Our African Centre of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Data Intensive Science (ACE) in collaboration with CoCIS has been one of the first trainers of AlphaFold in Africa” remarked Dr. Kambugu. He added that the to ensure inclusive training ACE has attracted funding to support the She Data Science (SHEDS) project, an initiative that offers MSc and PhD fellowships to Ugandan women in the fields of data science and bioinformatics, with a strong emphasis on health data.
How Ocular is shaping healthcare
Conference Co-Chair and Principal Investigator of Ocular, Dr. Rose Nakasi noted that their project that aims at empowering healthcare professionals with AI-powered microscopy was motivated by the fact that wrong diagnoses have a cascading effect on prescription, treatment, recommendation and surveillance services. “Where health practitioners have been taking 30 minutes or more to diagnose malaria, and days to diagnose cancers, we are slashing down that time to literally 5 seconds to diagnose and make a recommendation.” She added.
Dr. Nakasi added that beyond diagnosis, the Ocular project is supporting the Ministry of Health with more precise surveillance and monitoring of diseases by quicker augmentation of information for faster roll-out of interventions as opposed to current weekly or monthly reporting period required by the Digital Health Information System (DHIS 2).
“The beauty about AI is that it has the capability not to just learn with one dataset but also provide insights on different pieces of data – for diseases such as malaria where climate has an effect, we want to integrate climate datasets and seasonality aspects so that interventions by Government are timely and targeted to specific locations.”
Beyond the plenary sessions, the 2nd AI in Health Africa Conference will feature abstract presentations, a Makerere AI Health Lab Showcase, Breakout Sessions, Workshops, Masterclasses and a hackathon for prototypes developed during the conference. Please see downloads for a detailed concept and programme.
The Ministry of Health (MoH), Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), Makerere University College of Health Science (MakCHS) and other partners are jointly hosting the National Annual Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases (NACNDC) and 19th Joint Annual Scientific Health (JASH) Conference 2025, running from 3rd to 7th November. Ahead of the official opening on Wednesday, 5th November, a Mental Health Pre-Conference Symposium was held under the theme “Breaking the Silence: Advancing Mental Health Awareness and Resilience,” with a sub-theme on “Advancing Mental Health in Schools and Universities — Research and Policy Perspectives.” The session, held at Victoria Hall, Speke Resort Munyonyo, brought together mental-health experts, policymakers, researchers and education stakeholders to explore how learning institutions can strengthen emotional well-being, resilience and support systems for young people across Uganda.
Speaking as Guest of Honour, Justice Duncan Gaswaga of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights urged stakeholders to recognise the deep connection between mental health and human rights, noting that mental well-being cannot be separated from the social and economic realities in which people live. He commended the theme on “breaking the silence,” arguing that open conversations and early prevention offer the most cost-effective path to protecting communities, especially learners. Drawing from his judicial experience, he shared first-hand accounts of emotional trauma faced by judges who regularly encounter distressing evidence in court, including cases from the LRA conflict, and observed that legal professionals, like health workers and teachers, are not immune to psychological strain. Justice Gaswaga raised concern over rising mental-health challenges in schools and universities, citing data showing increased depression, substance use, and emotional distress among students, particularly girls. He attributed these trends to pressures such as long study hours, parental absence, peer influence, online risks, poverty, and untreated trauma. He called for stronger government funding, implementation of school mental-health policies, closer parental involvement, and coordinated action across sectors, adding that legal reforms, including debate on decriminalising attempted suicide, may be necessary to ensure individuals can seek help without fear of punishment.
The Deputy Inspector General of Government (IGG), Mrs. Anne Twinomugisha Muhairwe emphasised the urgent need to prioritise mental health across all sectors, noting that society often treats the subject as taboo despite its profound impact on productivity, ethics and service delivery. She argued that mental well-being is not only a personal concern but a governance issue, pointing out that health workers, who shoulder enormous responsibility, also require structured support systems to safeguard their psychological welfare. Citing recent incidents, including a case in Masaka where a patient reportedly died after a medical worker allegedly refused treatment over a payment dispute, she warned that unresolved mental-health challenges can influence behaviour and decision-making in critical service spaces. The IGG further highlighted a link between mental health and corruption, suggesting that addressing emotional strain and psychological pressures among public servants could contribute to ethical conduct and better public service outcomes. She encouraged continued engagement on the topic, calling for mental-health considerations to be integrated into anti-corruption strategies and institutional reforms, and expressed readiness to contribute more deeply to future discussions.
Delivering the keynote at the Mental Health Pre-Conference Symposium, Dr Racheal Nuwagaba of Makerere University urged stakeholders to confront mental health as it is today and abandon siloed approaches, calling for full integration of services into primary health care and evidence-led policy. She said nearly two decades of clinical practice and teaching have shown her that young people carry mounting pressures, highlighting Uganda’s youthful demographics and pointing to drivers such as sleep deprivation, academic strain, abuse and neglect. Citing recent trends, she warned against sensational statistics and urged clear differentiation between mild, moderate and severe symptoms, noting post-COVID rises in depression, higher burdens among refugees and significant risks for girls and senior students. Dr Nuwagaba stressed the frequent co-occurrence of mental illness with addictions and physical conditions, explaining that untreated disorders worsen over time and can impair brain function, while treatment and adherence improve outcomes. She encouraged mindfulness and presence in classrooms and clinics, and pressed institutions to use research to guide decisions, reduce stigma, and design culturally grounded, community-based responses. Concluding, she appealed for sustained collaboration across sectors and for the deliberate hiring and fair remuneration of professional mental-health providers to safeguard learners’ emotional, social and academic well-being.
The symposium also featured a panel discussion on Mental Health in Schools and Universities, chaired by Dr Kenneth Kalani from the Ministry of Health, and bringing together experts including Dr Harriet Abbe, Prof Ane-Marthe Solheim of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, and Ms Rebecca Namakula from the Ministry of Education and Sports. Panelists underscored the urgency of addressing mental-health challenges among learners, with insights highlighting early substance use among children as young as six, the need for teacher training in mental-health literacy, and the critical role of schools as early-detection points. They emphasised stronger linkages between health facilities and learning institutions, investment in prevention and early intervention, and the importance of equipping teachers, parents and school leaders with the skills to identify and respond to distress. The panel agreed that mental-health support must extend across the entire school community and be backed by policy enforcement, coordinated services and sustained collaboration across sectors.
In her closing remarks, Dr Hafsa Lukwata, Assistant Commissioner for Mental Health and Control of Substance Abuse at the Ministry of Health, urged Ugandans to break the silence around mental well-being and be intentional about seeking help and supporting one another. She noted that mental-health challenges are widespread across schools, homes and workplaces, and emphasised that silence only deepens the burden. Dr Lukwata encouraged institutions to appoint mental-health focal persons and called for sustained dialogue, continued collaboration and proactive efforts to build resilience in communities. She reminded participants that improving mental health begins with individual awareness and collective action, urging them to treat the day’s engagement as a starting point for strengthening support systems across the country.
On 24th October 2025, the 3rd cohort (65 professionals) of the ‘Science of Designing Adaptation and Implementation of Evidence–Based Parenting Interventions’ graduated at a ceremony held at Africana Hotel, Kampala, Uganda. The professionals were advised to be good ambassadors and share the knowledge from the training.
The training is a collaboration between Child Health Development Centre (CHDC) at Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS) and Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development (MoGLSD) through their Parenting Agenda Initiative.
The graduation brings the total of those trained to 130 since cohort 1, and marks a significant milestone in the journey of standardising parenting interventions in Uganda and testament of the nation’s commitment to strengthening families and communities.
In his remarks at the graduation, Dr. Godfrey Siu – Senior Lecturer at CHDC, Programme and Course Lead congratulated the participants for successfully completing the intensive parenting course. He said, ‘I am filled with an immense sense of pride and hope, not just for what we have accomplished during the training but the ripple effect this will have across Uganda’.
Dr. Siu highlighted that the course was not conceived in isolation, but is a vital pillar in the ambitious and crucial efforts by the Government of Uganda (GoU) through MoGLSD with an aim to strengthen and standardise parenting interventions in the country.
‘We extend our appreciation to GoU and MoGLSD in particular for the unwavering commitment and steadfast support. The vision for stronger families is a collective one, and leadership by government is its cornerstone. Let us go and build a future where every child in Uganda can thrive in a nurturing, supportive, and loving family’, Dr. Siu said.
Dr. Siu thanked the various partners who supported the training including the ELMA Foundation, Global Parenting Initiative and Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC); facilitators of the programme, drawn from a diverse spectrum of expertise. He advised the graduands to be champions, as standard-bearers for a new-era of parenting in Uganda.
He also called for support from development partners, donors and GoU in funding the next phase of the critical work noting that investment in parenting is an investment in the health, stability, and prosperity of the nation.
Dr. Herbert Muyinda, Director-CHDC noted the multi-dimensional benefits of the course including standardisation. He said, ‘all researchers dream about their work making impact and influence policy which Dr. Siu has achieved with this training programme’.
The Director-CHDC thanked all partners, MakCHS and CHDC administration for ensuring the success of the training. He commended the participants for the commitment and resilience during the training and expressed hope that they will use the knowledge when they return to their communities and organisations.
Professor Richard Idro, Deputy Principal-MakCHS represented the College administration at the graduation. In his speech he congratulated the participants on the milestone, thanked MoGLSD for entrusting the University with this work and also thanked CHDC for undertaking the programme not only for research but also as a contribution to the nation.
Professor Idro noted that parenting today is so different from what many of us experienced, highlighting that many parents work away from home also spending less time with their children.
He said, ‘teachers and carers spend more time with children therefore standardisation from initiatives like this are welcome’.
Highlighting the new strategy of taking the University to communities and solving societal challenges, Professor Idro commended the CHDC for the work which is well aligned to the aforementioned strategy. He called on the graduands to cascade the initiative learned to the lowest level of local governments for the benefit of the whole population.
He expressed hope that for sustainability, funding of the programme would be included in the government budget cycle to ensure continuity. He thanked the UMSC for the support recognising time that Sheikh Ali Waiswa had spent at the event as a sign of commitment to improved parenting in Uganda.
‘Our children are vulnerable, I hope this training takes us back to the basics of parenting. I encourage everyone to start with their family and share with all those around them’, said Dr. Angela Nakafeero – Commissioner for Women and Gender Affairs who represented the Permanent Secretary-MoGLSD, Mr. Aggrey Kibenge.
She thanked partners, MoGLSD departments, and various government institutions that have contributed to work accomplished to-date. She reiterated the message of the previous speakers to the graduands not to keep what they had learned to themselves but share with others. ‘Don’t keep information acquired, share it, make better parents and raise better families’, she said.
‘The ministry remains committed to the parenting agenda. As a nation we have always stressed the importance of cultural and religious appropriateness; the University is on-board to offer technical knowledge and this partnership will continue to deliver results’, Dr. Nakafeero added.
She invited the Chief Guest, Sheikh Ali Waiswa – Deputy Mufti, UMSC who represented the Mufti to address the congregation.
Sheikh Waiswa reminded those present that holy books including the Quran and Bible prescribed the family as the cornerstone of society giving guidance on how to raise good families.
He warned against the increased violence against children present in our communities. Quoting statistics, he expressed disappointment that children endure acts of violence in places meant to be safe havens like homes and schools with acts committed by people meant to be trusted. ‘Nearly 6 out of 10 girls and 7 out of 10 boys have experienced physical violence, while 35% of girls are affected by sexual violence’, he said.
The Deputy Mufti commended the training course for bridging the gap between research and practice, saying it would revolutionise parenting, strengthen families and in-turn society. ‘Don’t underestimate the power of the work you are doing, as we celebrate, let us remember our blue print is this initiative and training’, he said.
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