Minister worries about Ugandan women’s fertility rates

The Minister of ICT and National Guidance Dr Chris Baryomunsi has emphasized the need for Ugandans to push the brakes on the child-bearing rates.

He noted that while most countries in the worldwide west have reached or are approaching the end of this shift, where both their fertility and mortality rates are very low, Uganda is still at the beginning where women are still very fertile, and the mortality rates are equally elevated.

“When you go to countries like Japan which I have visited many times, their annual population growth rate is at -0.5 %. Their population is basically decreasing while their life expectancy is very high”.

“In Japan, what used to be primary and secondary schools they have turned them into homes of the elderly”.

“But here in Uganda, we have a world trophy in terms of our population growth; it is too high, and this has its own negative effects in terms of pressures on our natural resources.”

The Minister added, “We as scientists don’t necessarily oppose God’s command to multiply and fill the earth, but we need to guide the population to produce by choice, not by chance.”

“Couples need to have a manageable family size; a man and a wife should be able to discuss and agree on the number of children they can raise and give them a happy life. We don’t encourage Ugandans to just reproduce for the sake of exchanging the biological potential of a woman.”

Uganda according to numerous sources is still placed among the world’s top 10 fastest-rising populations.