KAMPALA, Uganda – The condemnation of at least 10 remand homes, one reception center and one national rehabilitation facility has exposed critical failures in child protection systems and funding priorities within the Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development.
The affected facilities include remand homes across the country, Naguru Reception Centre and Kampiringisa National Rehabilitation Centre, which together accommodate children under state care.
Presenting a report on the gender ministry’s policy statement and budget estimates for the 2026/2027 financial year during plenary chaired by Speaker Anita Among on Thursday, Committee Chairperson Agnes Kunihira told lawmakers that inspections by the Ministry of Works found several institutions housing children in conflict with the law to be unsafe.
“The committee noted that the Ministry of Works has condemned 10 remand homes, one reception centre and one National Rehabilitation Centre,” Kunihira said.
Kunihira said the problem is compounded by land ownership disputes, with most facilities lacking secure tenure.
“Out of 12 institutions, only three have land titles,” she said.
The committee noted that 2,617 children in conflict with the law are currently held in the affected institutions, raising concern over their safety and welfare. The committee recommended that 5 billion shillings be given to the Ministry of Gender for renovation or rehabilitation.
Kunihira linked the crisis to broader budget imbalances within the ministry, noting that while the overall allocation has increased, critical service areas remain underfunded.
“The draft annual budget estimates for the ministry for financial year 2026/2027 reflected an overall increase, with the total budget having risen by 91.212 billion shillings (20.7%),” Kunihira said.
However, key functions that support community and family services registered significant cuts.
“Vote Function 02 (Culture and Family Affairs) experienced a decline of 20.9%, largely attributed to a reduction in non-wage recurrent funding,” she said, adding that administration also saw an 8.7% reduction in non-wage allocations.
Kunihira warned that such cuts weaken preventive and rehabilitation systems, leaving institutions overstretched and poorly maintained.
The committee also highlighted inefficiencies in fund utilization.
“By the end of June 2025, 91.2% of the total budget was released and only 62.8% expended,” she said.
She attributed the low absorption partly to delays in externally funded programs.
Beyond child protection, the report flagged systemic weaknesses in labor justice, including a growing backlog of cases at the Industrial Court.
“The committee observed the need to operationalize more Industrial Court centers and registries … to address the rising case backlog,” Kunihira said.
She also raised concerns over underfunding of key oversight bodies such as the Labor Advisory Board and gaps in the functionality of the Medical Board, warning that these limit effective regulation, assessment and enforcement of labor and social protection systems.
Despite the challenges, Kunihira highlighted gains in social protection programs, particularly the Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment (SAGE) in which 297,724 senior citizens have benefited.
The ministry also supported vulnerable groups through livelihood programs, including 1,640 women’s enterprises benefiting 11,796 women and 1,317 enterprises for people with disabilities benefiting 8,170 people.
Additional interventions included the rescue, rehabilitation and reintegration of street children, as well as inspections of gender-based violence shelters to ensure compliance with minimum standards.
However, the committee cautioned that these gains risk being undermined by weak infrastructure, funding imbalances and implementation bottlenecks.
“The ministry is mandated to protect and promote the rights of vulnerable populations,” Kunihira said, urging the government to prioritize safe facilities, secure land ownership, strengthen oversight systems and align budget allocations to critical service delivery areas.
Commenting on SAGE, Speaker Among asked the government to address the fact that elderly people are forced to travel long distances to withdraw their money.
Government Chief Whip Hamson Obua said the government is progressing toward reducing the age limit for beneficiaries to 65 from 80. On the issue of distance, he said this will be discussed.
“A district like Alebtong doesn’t have a single bank. If an elder is supposed to pick up money, he will have to go to Lira. Government cannot do all this. Let the government work on reduction of age limit so that more elderly can access the system,” he said.
Lawmaker Joseph Ssewungu (NUP, Kalungu West County) proposed that elderly people be given phones and their money sent via mobile money.
Speaker Among tasked the Committee on Gender to study the best way to channel this money to the elderly.
“We need to have extensive discussion on how this will be done so we can come up with a viable solution. Meanwhile, Buyende District has a bank,” she said.
The report was forwarded to the Committee on Budget for reconciliation and harmonization of figures during budget consideration.
