As child marriages and teenage pregnancies persist in the country, activists, legislators and development partners have warned that the country is losing trillions of shillings each year to the consequences of such practices.
Phoebe Kasoga, the Country Director of Plan International Uganda, said the country’s delayed action against such practices is costing both girls and the economy heavily.
Ms Kasoga estimated that Uganda loses Shs1.6 trillion annually to harmful cultural practices, including child marriage, alongside the health and social consequences.
She explained that in 2020 alone, essential health facility expenditure on teenage mothers cost the country Shs246.9 billion.
She made the remarks during the 8th National Girls Summit in Kampala on November 25, 2025, under the theme: ‘The Cost of Inaction to Address the Root Causes of Child Marriage and Teenage Pregnancy in Uganda’
The health impact is equally devastating, with data indicating that teenage pregnancy contributed to nearly two million births between 2016 and 2020, an average of 30,000 teenage pregnancies per month and 1,000 daily, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report 2022.
According to her, although Uganda has made bold commitments, including aligning with SDG 5.3 to end child marriage by 20230 and outlawing legal provisions, the number of child marriages and teenage pregnancy remains alarming.
‘Data on child marriage has continued to remain unacceptably high in Uganda despite the collective effort. The implication is that the practice has not yet been curtailed or dealt with decisively in communities and therefore requires taking stock to reflect and learn,’ Ms Kasoga said.
According to the 2022 Uganda Demographic and Health survey, 34 percent of the girls are married before the age of 18 and 7 percent before 15.
Ms Kasoga warned that if Uganda does not act quickly, teenage mothers will continue to face life consequences.
‘If current trends persist without intervention, a significant portion of teenage mothers in Uganda face severe socio-economic challenges: approximately 60 percent are at risk of never completing primary education, and 47percent will likely be confined to working in peasant subsistence agriculture.
She added, ‘We believe that ending child marriage requires a collective responsibility, stronger accountability, and consistent investment in impact areas – education, adolescent and school health, social protection, community engagements to tackle harmful norms and practices.’
Ms Kasoga called for increased funding for the national strategy to end child marriage and teenage pregnancy, strong multi-sectoral coordination, enforcement of the existing laws, scaling up community intervention, better use of data as well and expanding adolescent health services.
Ms Margaret Ayebare Rwebyambu, the Woman MP for Mbarara District, said that cultural practices continue to push girls into early marriage as some families still treat girls as commodities.
‘Where I come from, culture demands not less than 10 cows for a girl and therefore families let girls go for bride price rather than allow them to choose their future,’ Ms Rwebyambu said.
She emphasised the need for collective efforts, noting that the government alone cannot change the people’s mindsets, challenging role models, leaders and professionals to turn to their communities and inspire girls to stay in school.
‘You left the school where you studied and never returned. Who will motivate these girls? Change starts with you and me,’ she said.
Ms Rwebyambu appealed to leaders to speak against the outdated cultural norms and guide communities towards protecting children.
The head of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) of office in Kosovo, Veronika Vashchenko, emphasised that despite progress made over the past decade, the decline in child marriage has stalled.
‘ Teenage pregnancy remains both a driver and consequence of child marriage. Girls who marry early are less likely to complete education and are more exposed to gender based violence,’ Ms Vashchenko said.
She also re-echoed the urgent need for stronger multi-sectoral coordination across health, education, justice and social protection systems and called for the involvement of men, cultural and religious leaders in driving positive change.
‘Every girl has a right to live free from violence, discrimination and to realise her full potential. To achieve this, deliberate and sustained commitment and resource allocation are essential,’ Ms Vashchenko said.
The Girls Not Brides Uganda (GNBU), a national partnership of 146 civil society organisations, reaffirm their commitment to working with the government to ensure that Uganda meets its SGD target of eliminating child marriage by 20230.