A new report from the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has revealed a troubling rise in childbirth-related deaths, with over 1,300 boys dying at birth in the city, most of them during home and clinic deliveries that lacked adequate medical support.
According to the report, Kampala recorded a total of 4,178 births across its five divisions. Of these, 2,144 were girls and 1,339 boys. However, 104 infants died during childbirth 67 of them boys and 37 girls raising alarm over the safety of maternal and newborn care in the capital.
Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago attributed many of the deaths to unsafe delivery environments.
“Many of these deaths are linked to births at home and in clinics that may lack the necessary medical support, especially in Kampala’s five divisions,” Lukwago said while presenting the findings.
The data underscores the urgent need to improve access to skilled maternal healthcare and ensure better regulation of private clinics and informal birth settings.
The same KCCA report sheds light on another pressing issue—street children. Lukwago disclosed that KCCA rescued 1,921 Karamojong children from the streets, including 1,588 girls and 333 boys, with 776 of them placed into children’s homes.
Additionally, 618 non-Karamojong Street children were also rescued in the ongoing efforts to address child vulnerability in the capital.
Kampala’s population now stands at over 1.8 million, according to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, adding further strain to the city’s social services and infrastructure.
As the city continues to grow, the findings in the report highlight critical gaps in both maternal healthcare and child protection services, prompting calls for immediate action from stakeholders to safeguard the lives and wellbeing of Kampala’s youngest and most vulnerable residents.
