KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda’s parliament has adopted a motion urging the government to allocate more funding for the treatment and management of sickle cell disease, designating it a major public health concern requiring urgent budget attention.
The motion, presented Thursday, March 12, 2026, by lawmaker Asuman Basalirwa of the JEEMA party, was passed during a session chaired by Speaker Anita Among. It calls on the government to strengthen its commitment to prevention, screening and treatment of the inherited blood disorder.
“Sickle cell disease continues to pose a significant public health challenge in Uganda,” Basalirwa said while presenting the motion. He cited constitutional obligations that require the state to improve health services and noted the global health community’s longstanding concern over the disease’s impact, particularly in developing countries.
Caused by a genetic mutation that produces abnormally shaped red blood cells, sickle cell disease can lead to severe pain, organ damage and other serious health complications.
Basalirwa told lawmakers that Uganda carries a significant burden of the disease. Data cited in the motion shows a national sickle cell trait prevalence of approximately 13.3%, meaning about one in seven people is a carrier. It is estimated that 20,000 babies are born with the disease annually, and between 6,000 and 9,000 die before their fifth birthday, often due to a lack of early diagnosis and comprehensive care.
Seconding the motion, Hon. Hope Nakazibwe, the Mubende District Woman Representative, said government should treat sickle cell disease as an urgent public health burden, noting that about 13.3 percent of Ugandans carry the trait.
Hon. Dr Charles Ayume, the MP for Koboko Municipality, said sickle cell disease can be prevented through increased public awareness, like campaigns used to combat HIV/AIDS.
“I encourage that it should not only be scientifically led or because of funding, but politicians should come out quite strong and sensitise the population. At one point you would not get married if you did not have the certificate for HIV testing. We could do the same for sickle cell,” Ayume said.
He added that allocating between Shs5 billion and Shs10 billion for the medicine Hydroxyurea could significantly help patients with the disease to live a better quality of life with limited pain crises and hospital admissions.
Hon. Ayume also seconded the motion
Hon. Col. Victor Nekesa, the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces representative in Parliament, said children born with sickle cell disease can place a heavy burden on families and the country if adequate support systems are not in place. She added that new technologies could help reduce the disease burden.
The Government Chief Whip, Hon. Hamson Obua, said government has already taken proactive steps to address the disease, noting that several health facilities in the Lango sub-region have been equipped with testing machines to manage sickle cell cases.
