Government requires Shs15 billion for Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) prevention messages

Efforts to end HIV/AIDS by 2030 continue with government making a case for funding of Shs15 billion to combat the virus. 

The Minister in the Office of the President, Hon. Milly Babalanda told lawmakers during the plenary sitting on Thursday, 12 November 2026 that the funds will support the Uganda AIDS Commission’s efforts in coordination and expansion of prevention messages, countrywide. 

“The country needs to continue to prioritize HIV prevention interventions, especially with a focus on scaling up social and behavioral change interventions, including abstinence and faithfulness, to reach all population groups with targeted HIV prevention messages,” Babalanda said. 

She also said that whilst the fight against the virus has registered progress, government is still faced with challenges of key drivers of the HIV epidemic, including stigma and discrimination, sexual gender-based violence and limited use of technology in communicating with the young people. 

“The complacency and new HIV infections are still unacceptably high at 34,000. The majority of these new infections are occurring among young people, with young women aged 15 to 24 years accounting for 30 per cent of new infections,” said Babalanda.  

She however, commended the Presidential Fast Track objectives for ending AIDS by 2030, stating that the country has registered a 65 per cent decline in annual AIDS deaths. 

“As a country, we should therefore, focus and accelerate interventions to reach the global commitment towards achieving the three zeros; zero new HIV infections, zero stigma and discrimination and zero deaths related to AIDS,” she said. 

Speaker Jacob Marksons Oboth referred the statement to the committee on HIV/AIDS, for further scrutiny. 

“The committee will interrogate the request for the Shs15 billion because from here, we do not know why she [minister] wants the money,” Oboth said. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.