Published on 10/05/2025
Legislators on Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities, and State Enterprises (COSASE) have questioned officials from the Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC) over the absence of critical data necessary for effective HIV/AIDS interventions.
MPs expressed concern that the Commission is implementing programs without a clear understanding of the affected populations.
During a committee meeting held on May 8, 2025, MPs Allan Mayanja (Nakaseke Central) and Mpindi Bumali (Representative for Persons with Disabilities) cited the Auditor General’s December 2024 report, which revealed that UAC failed to carry out several planned activities. These included a bottleneck analysis on gender-based violence and other behavioral drivers of HIV/AIDS in Uganda.
Daniel Byamukama, Head of HIV Prevention at UAC, acknowledged that gender-based violence and violence against children remain key contributors to the epidemic, disproportionately affecting women and girls.
“We did not receive adequate funding to implement these activities,” Byamukama said. “Usually, we rely on partners to support such interventions, but over this period, we failed to secure a reliable partner to carry out the analysis.”
However, Mpindi rejected the explanation, arguing that the Commission continues to operate without essential data.
“Almost every data point isn’t recorded, yet the Commission keeps implementing programs without knowing what they are doing,” he said. “The Auditor General clearly stated this, and now you claim the issue is funding. But how do you implement activities without understanding the context?”
Byamukama responded that some behavioral and structural data are collected through national surveys such as the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey and the Population HIV Impact Assessment.
“Behavioral change does not happen overnight. That’s why some data is collected periodically. These surveys give us insights on trends like condom use and the number of individuals with multiple sexual partners,” he said.
He added that while UAC wishes to collect more routine process data to track interventions targeting behavioral and social drivers, limited funding has made this difficult.
“It’s not true that we completely lack data. We rely on scheduled national surveys. But for real-time, routine data, the process involves many stakeholders and requires a mechanism we’ve yet to establish due to lack of resources,” Byamukama explained.
Still unconvinced, Mpindi insisted, “Your response doesn’t help the Committee. If that data exists, why wasn’t it shared with the Auditor General? For three years, the report has consistently flagged this issue.”
Byamukama clarified that UAC operates with two types of data—routine data and stakeholder-generated data—and emphasized that limited funding has hindered coordination among stakeholders.
“If you ask me about condom usage or multiple sexual partnerships, I can give you that data from periodic surveys. But for routine data collection on intervention processes, we haven’t secured funding to institutionalize that system,” he added.
The meeting also addressed concerns about the long-delayed operationalization of the HIV/AIDS Trust Fund. Mayanja, who also serves as COSASE Vice Chairperson, criticized the Commission for failing to activate the fund, which was established under the 2014 HIV Prevention and Control Act to support HIV services.
Quinto Rwotoyera, UAC’s Director of Finance and Accounts, confirmed that the fund has not been operationalized, citing disagreements between the Ministries of Finance and Health, which escalated to the President but remain unresolved.
“Parliament approved at least UGX 10 billion for the Trust Fund. But when the Ministry of Finance was asked to disburse the funds, it didn’t. The Ministry of Health refused to appoint a board without receiving the money first,” Rwotoyera said.
He added, “Eventually, the Ministry of Health argued that the Public Finance Management Act does not allow the creation of separate funds outside the consolidated account. As of now, the Fund does not exist.”
Meanwhile, MP Abdallah Kiwanuka (Mukono North) sought clarity on how UAC plans to address the funding gap left by the withdrawal of HIV/AIDS support from the United States.
“With the U.S. cutting foreign aid under President Trump’s policy, and being one of the major contributors to the Global Fund, what’s your alternative plan if the $500 million funding application for 2026 is rejected?” Kiwanuka asked.
Mpindi echoed the concern, asking, “What mechanisms are in place to ensure UAC continues functioning despite global funding cuts?”
However, Elijah Okupa (Kasilo County) advised that such questions be directed to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health.
“Resource mobilization is the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance. UAC is a technical body. They implement policies; they’re not the ones mandated to look for money,” Okupa said.
