The former Deputy Resident City Commissioner of Jinja, Henry Kitambula, has expressed concern over the increasing number of girls dropping out of school due to early pregnancies or childbirth, hence affecting their development and future opportunities.

Kitambula said that this is mainly happening due to the ignorance and negligence of parents who are subjecting their young girls to early marriages and pregnancies instead of paying for their school fees to attain education.

He made these remarks on August 21, 2024, during a parent-teacher meeting at Jinja Secondary School, where he blamed parents who deal with the pedophiles who give them small tokens of money after defiling, raping, and sexually harassing their kids, which is why the cases of girl child early pregnancies and school dropouts have increased in Jinja district.

’’It is so funny and very stupid of parents to receive small tokens of money or other gifts from these pedophiles who rape and defile their girls because these evil people not only taint the dignity of these girls but also affect them with HIV/AIDS and STIs, so stop getting money from these offenders and instead report them to the authorities,’’ Kitabula stated.

He called upon all authorities to arrest all parents who get such small tokens of money from these criminals because they are the reason why the number of girls dropping out of school and early pregnancies has increased, hence affecting the future of girls in Jinja district.