According to the study, 53.7% of first-year students and 46.7% of continuing students at Makerere University have remained committed to positive values, including abstinence or faithfulness to their marital partners.
The survey also found that 37.8% of the first-year students who participated in the survey identified as virgins, slightly higher than their continuing counterparts.
"Among the interviewed first-year students, 37.8% were virgins, while 36.6% of continuing students were virgins. An equally good number of students were secondary virgins,' said Barbara Kaija, Co-Chair of the Emerging Leaders Programme, when presenting the findings on Friday, September 27, 2024, at Makerere University during the launch of the ELP initiative.
On the other hand, the study revealed that 46.3% of first-year students and 53.3% of continuing students have been making negative sexual choices, driven by peer and financial pressure.
The survey included a sample of 473 first-year students and 1,041 continuing students from various key colleges and faculties at Makerere University.
The study also revealed that at least 101 students (13.5%) believed they might have been exposed to HIV at Makerere by having sex with a student who was HIV positive.
"Twenty-seven percent of first-year students had more than five sexual partners in one year, with 11% having ten or more partners in the same period," the report reads.
Among continuing students, 32% had more than five sexual partners in one year, and 12% had ten or more in that timeframe.
Additionally, the survey showed that 57 first-year students, representing 6.8%, are currently using drugs, while another 17 (3.6%) had used drugs in the past but reported having quit. Among continuing students, 80 (7.7%) are using drugs, and 69 (6.6%) said they had used drugs in the past but had since stopped.
The ELP programme was launched to instil character development and leadership skills in university students. The launch was attended by Uganda's First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
