The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu, has warned that increasing cases of divorce and domestic violence are discouraging many young women from committing to marriage.
In a message delivered on his behalf by Jackson Frederick Baalwa, Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of Kampala, the Archbishop said the challenges facing families today threaten the stability of homes and society.
The message was delivered during the Provincial Mary’s Day Commissioning and Thanksgiving Service held last evening at the Namirembe Provincial Secretariat.
Kaziimba said many young women are increasingly questioning the value of marriage due to negative experiences in families.
He stressed that families anchored in Christian values are essential for unity, peace and stability in both the Church and the nation.
The Archbishop noted that the Mothers’ Union plays a vital role in strengthening families and nurturing Christian values, particularly through its focus on parenting and family life.
He added that the strength of a nation depends on the quality of its families, describing homes as the primary environment where children are nurtured and shaped for the future.
The chief guest, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Affairs Rebecca Kadaga, commended the Mothers’ Union for promoting the value of marriage and family in society.
Kadaga warned that parental neglect has left many children vulnerable to harmful influences such as drug abuse, contributing to rising cases of mental illness among young people. She also urged mothers to participate in environmental conservation through tree-planting initiatives.
Provincial Mothers’ Union President Grace Murengezi called on members to emulate the virtues of kindness, humility and resilience as exemplified by Mary while advancing the work of the Mothers’ Union.
Murengezi also announced plans to construct a boys’ hostel worth Shs2 billion at Namirembe-Bakuli as an income-generating project for the Church and urged members to support the initiative.
More than 200 students at Ntenungi Secondary School in Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement in western Uganda have been left without accommodation after a dormitory was destroyed by fire on Tuesday night.
School authorities said the blaze broke out at about 8 pm and is suspected to have been deliberately set by unknown individuals.
The affected students, a total of 215, lost all their belongings when the dormitory was gutted.
Ntenungi Secondary School, a community institution established in 2022 by the non-governmental organization (NGO) Finn Church Aid, serves both refugee learners and students from the host community in Kamwenge District. The school currently has an enrolment of 1,012 students.
The school head teacher, Mr Burnnet Niwagaba, told Daily scope that the fire destroyed books, bedding and other personal items belonging to the learners. Results slips belonging to Senior Four candidates were also burnt.
According to him, the school now requires about Shs200 million to replace the destroyed belongings of the students, excluding the cost of reconstructing the dormitory.
Following the incident, the school has struggled to find temporary accommodation for the affected learners.
Niwagaba appealed to well-wishers and the government to support the school, warning that sending the students home could disrupt their education.
The incident has also compounded financial difficulties the school has been facing following the suspension of donor funding that had been supporting teachers’ salaries.
Previously, Finn Church Aid paid salaries for 24 teachers through a programme funded by the United States government under the United States Bureau of Population, Refugee and Migration (PRM).
However, the funding stopped recently, forcing the school to rely on contributions from the Parent-Teacher Association to pay teachers.
The Country Director of Finn Church Aid, Wycliffe Nsheka, confirmed that the organization established the school with support from the United States government through the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.
He said the dormitory had been constructed with donor funding and was fully equipped before it was destroyed.
Nsheka added that the organization is engaging officials at its global head office in Finland to explore possible emergency support through a disaster response fund.
He also noted that the organisation had planned to construct a perimeter fence around the school to improve security, but the project stalled after funding stopped.
Efforts are also ongoing to help the school meet the requirements for a possible government takeover so that it can receive government-paid teachers in the future.
By Wednesday evening, police had not yet issued a statement on the cause of the fire, saying a response would be released later.