Bishop Kibira calls for sensitization campaigns against early marriage

In brief

Bishop Francis Aquirinus Kibira Kambale of the Diocese of Kasese is calling on the government and development partners to launch sensitization campaigns to prevent teenage pregnancies and early marriages in Uganda. During a thanksgiving Mass for obstetric fistula survivors on August 29, 2026, the bishop explained that early marriage leads to childbirth complications because young girls' bodies and pelvises may not be fully developed. He noted that these complications can result in obstetric fistula or death.

Bishop Kibira urged parents, guardians, and community leaders to protect children from early marriage and pregnancy, stating that childbirth requires physical and emotional maturity. During the Mass at the St. John Paul II spiritual home chapel in Kasese Municipality, survivors Agnes Balubasa and Margret Kabugho shared how living with obstetric fistula caused them pain, stigma, and humiliation.

The bishop also thanked the Hilton Foundation for funding treatment and support for survivors through the Catholic Religious Sisters Healthcare Initiative-Uganda and Mount St. Mary’s Hospital.