His Eminence Sheikh Obilan Abubakar Umar, the Regional Assistant Mufti (RAM) for the Teso–Karamoja Region, has issued a stern warning to parents who continue to marry off their young school-going daughters in exchange for material gain.
The Sheikh made the remarks on Saturday, 22nd November 2025, while addressing parents at the Soroti Secondary School Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Soroti City.
Sheikh Obilan expressed deep concern that some parents still view their daughters as economic assets rather than children whose rights must be protected. He condemned the act of marrying off underage girls, particularly within some Muslim families, saying the practice has deprived many girls of the chance to complete their education.
“I have been reliably informed that there is a Muslim parent of a Senior Two student who wants to marry her off and is already looking for a man. Such parents should be reported immediately to authorities and the law should take its course,” Sheikh Obilan warned.
The RAM urged communities to remain vigilant and expose parents who marry off their daughters or push them into commercial sex work.
He revealed that some parents deliberately send girls to school without basic necessities, forcing them into risky behaviours that undermine cultural and spiritual values.
He further noted that neglecting children’s emotional and psychological needs has contributed to rising cases of trauma, stress, and mental health disorders among learners in primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions.
Sheikh Obilan decried what he termed “parental absenteeism,” stressing that many parents pay minimal attention to their children’s welfare.
“Uganda is doomed if we have future parents who grow without mentorship,” he warned, urging parents to rebuild strong guidance structures at home.
The Islamic scholar raised alarm over the high HIV/AIDS prevalence in Soroti City, which stands at 12.5%, significantly higher than the national average of 5.1%, according to the Uganda AIDS Commission 2024 report and Soroti ranks second after Fort Portal, which has a prevalence rate of 13.5%.
He further revealed that Soroti City alone has 120 hotspots for commercial sex. More shockingly, he pointed out that one of these hotspots specifically involves secondary school girls who engage in sex work for as little as 1,000 to 2,000 shillings.
“This is very detrimental to our culture, religion, Teso sub-region and Uganda at large,” he said.
Sheikh Obilan also highlighted cervical cancer and sickle cell disease as major health threats ravaging Teso sub-region. Teso currently ranks second to Lango in sickle cell prevalence nationwide.
“The disease is growing rapidly in Teso. We need to fight this trend fraternally,” he advised, encouraging parents to embrace sickle cell testing and support screening of schoolgirls to determine their carrier status.
He announced that the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council regional office is spearheading massive testing, counselling, and premarital sickle cell screening campaigns and plans are underway to establish a sickle cell clinic in Soroti City.
In his concluding remarks, Sheikh Obilan urged parents to take full responsibility for the moral and spiritual growth of their children.
He emphasized that protecting the girl child from early marriage, exploitation, and health risks is a shared duty of families, schools, communities, and faith institutions.
“Parents must guide, support, and walk with their children to safeguard their future,” he appealed.
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