The Ugandan government has taken full ownership of the HIV response following shifts in international aid, committing domestic resources to eliminate the epidemic as a major public health threat by 2030.
With a target to end mother-to-child transmission, Uganda now allocates roughly Shs1.9 trillion annually to the national HIV/AIDS response. The Uganda AIDS Commission says Shs1.5 trillion covers the baseline cost of life-saving antiretroviral therapy and laboratory monitoring, while wider epidemic management requires up to Shs1.9 trillion.
Dr Sr Grace Mary Akiror, board member on the UAC, said despite the withdrawal of some external support in recent years, government continues to provide medication free of charge at health centres.
She said the epidemic disproportionately affects women and young girls who often fall prey to exploitation due to socio-economic pressures.
Statistics indicate that 78 per cent of young people affected are girls and women, a vulnerability worsened during school holidays when girls are placed in high-risk environments like serving alcohol or working late in markets.
However, a stark gender paradox exists in health outcomes. While women are more frequently infected, men have higher mortality rates. Dr Sr Akiror attributed this to behavioral factors.
‘You and I are aware that most of these women fall prey not because they want to, but because they are forced to. Others get in knowingly or unknowingly. So, it is within our mandate, you and I, to continuously sensitise the public, including the men, to ensure that protection of each other is key,’ she told journalists in Lira City on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
Sr Dr Akiror was in Lira with UAC officials to participate in the 2026 Provincial National Widows’ Day commemorated under the theme ‘Justice, dignity and economic power for widows.’
She emphasised that while women and girls remain the most vulnerable, ending the epidemic by 2030 requires personal responsibility, community support, and sustained government funding.
‘And you see, I talked about women having that higher percentage, but again, women, men die more than the women. Why? Women try to adhere to what they have got, and they take their medication effectively,’ she explained.
‘But the men mix with alcohol, non-attendance, even going to the hospital is an issue, and they fall prey. They detract, they don’t take their medicines in time, where a woman becomes very supportive in this area. That’s why the men, they relapse, and that’s why the men die more than the women, much as women are more vulnerable and infected.’
Beyond medical treatment, Dr Akiror said social factors like land grabbing and domestic stigma hinder the fight. Widows are frequently chased from land by relatives, stripping them of economic stability needed to maintain health.
Dr Akiror highlighted that love and support are clinical necessities.
‘We must show love to those who are infected, because that will encourage them to take their treatment effectively. But if we don’t show love, the stigma aspect makes them step back and not go for their medication,’ she said.
UAC identifies media as a critical partner, tasked with exposing injustices and transmitting accurate health information in local languages such as Leb Lango to reach rural communities.
Rt Rev Prof Alfred Olwa, Bishop of Lango Diocese, said the Church of Uganda is actively creating awareness, visiting patients, and mobilizing support through parish, archdeaconry, and diocesan structures.
‘As Church of Uganda, especially the Diocese of Lango, we have in our structure, in the parish level, the archdeaconry level, and the diocesan level, through the arm of our health department, especially the public health department, we have representatives,’ he said.
According to Bishop Olwa, those representatives create awareness about disease prevention and healthy living, and link up with pastors on the ground.
‘So they are able to visit these patients, they are able to pray with them, they are also able to raise support among Christians where possible,’ Bishop Olwa said.