Micho Ayinebyona, a specialist in public investment in children with Save the Children, emphasized the need for increased nutrition financing through the Ministry of Health. He highlighted the importance of investing in food security for children to address the persistent issue of malnutrition among Uganda’s children and mothers.
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are urging the government to prioritize children's needs in the planning and budgeting process for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025/26. During a meeting with Members of Parliament from the Gender, Labor, and Social Development Committee, the Parliamentary Forum for Children, and other stakeholders organized by the Uganda Child Rights NGO Network, key issues such as the new curriculum, education in emergencies, malnutrition, and climate change were discussed.
Micho Ayinebyona, a specialist in public investment in children with Save the Children, emphasized the need for increased nutrition financing through the Ministry of Health. He highlighted the importance of investing in food security for children to address the persistent issue of malnutrition among Uganda’s children and mothers. Ayinebyona stressed that malnutrition has a long-lasting impact on young children and is difficult to reverse, calling for government attention during budget planning.
He also called for increased funding for social welfare officers in local governments to enhance child protection, citing numerous reports of violence against children in communities. Ayinebyona pointed out that Uganda hosts over a million refugee children who require education, straining schools, and health facilities in refugee-hosting communities. The CSOs urged the government to tackle the resulting overcrowding in schools and bring health services closer to affected children to combat malnutrition.
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James Kubeketerya, a Member of Parliament for Bunya County East and Chairperson of the Committee on Education and Sports, recognized the importance of the CSOs' proposals for including children's rights in budget planning. He stressed the need to ensure that budgetary allocations, especially in education, address children's needs directly.
Kubeketerya mentioned that his committee plans to work with the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) and the Ministry of Education and Sports to address funding issues, particularly for the implementation of the new lower secondary school curriculum and assessment. He also pointed out the need for the National Curriculum Development Center (NCDC) to address gaps in the O-Level and A-Level curricula.
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Angela Nansubuga, the Gender Unit Program Assistant, highlighted the government's efforts to support refugee-hosting schools, especially at the secondary level. She mentioned plans under the Uganda Secondary Schools Enhancement Improvement and Expansion Program to construct schools and support institutions that cater to learners with special needs, particularly in ICT and child protection.
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Flavia Kabahenda, the Member of Parliament for Rwabuhoro and Chairperson of the Social Protection Committee, stressed the importance of creating an environment conducive to children's growth and development.
She pointed out that the absence of an Early Childhood Education Policy leads to discrimination among children. Despite the Education Act of 2008 stating that education in Uganda should begin at preschool, the government's focus on free universal education primarily targets primary schools, neglecting nursery education.
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Colleen Tumwiine, an economist from the Budget Policy and Evaluation Department at the Ministry of Finance, assured that the Ministry of Finance is mindful of children's needs, integrating gender and equity into budgeting. She explained that all institutions are required to incorporate gender and equity interventions into their budgets to improve allocations in these areas.
Fred Kayongo Male
Freelancer