Uganda AIDS Commission Proposes Condom Use Training for MPs

 The Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC) has proposed to train Members of Parliament on proper condom use so they can effectively educate their constituents, following concerns about Uganda’s slow progress in combating HIV/AIDS.

The proposal was made by Ruth Ssenyonyi, the UAC Board Chairperson, while appearing before Parliament’s Committee on HIV/AIDS and Other Related Matters on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, to discuss the current status of HIV and AIDS in the country.

“Maybe one day, we will come not just to give you reports, but to give you information, how to use condoms, for example,” Ssenyonyi told the committee. “You may know, but you are teaching many other people. It is important that you are well equipped with that information because you represent us wherever you are.”

Her remarks followed a request by Hon. Denis Onekalit (Kitgum Municipality), who asked the Commission to provide detailed statistics on areas and sub-regions with low condom use and high levels of transactional sex—factors identified as major drivers of new HIV infections.

“I am also going to ask you to give us the statistics on the major drivers of HIV infections,” Onekalit said. “You talked about low condom use and transactional sex. Statistically, where are these happening? Those days, we used to be taught how to use condoms, but in this dot-com era, you may think people know, yet they don’t.”

Committee Chairperson Hon. Sarah Kayagi Netalisile welcomed the proposal, noting that many MPs on the committee have no background in health or medical training, and some are new members unfamiliar with the language and technicalities of the HIV/AIDS sector.

“Some members have been on the committee for less than a year. If you let them speak to persons living positively, they might use inappropriate language,” she said. “As we keep learning, we become more enlightened. I even have Catholics on the committee who have never used a condom, so teaching them will be a great job.”

According to Tom Etti, UAC Director of Partnerships, Uganda has made significant progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS, with new infections dropping from 96,000 in 2010 to 37,000 in 2024, and AIDS-related deaths falling from 56,000 to 20,000 over the same period.

Etti noted that Uganda is “closer than ever” to ending AIDS by 2030, but challenges remain, especially among children, 4,700 were born with HIV last year alone.

The Committee urged the Uganda AIDS Commission to strengthen awareness campaigns and ensure that both policymakers and the public are better informed to sustain the country’s progress toward eliminating HIV/AIDS.