Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has opened a breastfeeding room at City Hall to help nursing mothers balance childcare with work.
The facility gives mothers a private, clean and safe place to breastfeed their babies or express and store breast milk during working hours.
KCCA launched the room on Wednesday as Uganda marks Breastfeeding Month in August. The campaign promotes breastfeeding and encourages workplaces to create conditions that allow mothers to continue nursing their children.
KCCA Executive Director Sharifah Buzeki said the facility goes beyond meeting a legal requirement. She said it reflects the authority’s efforts to improve staff welfare.
“This is more than a legal obligation. It is a demonstration of our people-centred approach,” Buzeki said.
She said workers perform better when employers recognise their family responsibilities.
“Our people are motivated to bring out their best when they know that their families are supported,” she said.
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) supported KCCA to establish and equip the room.
Buzeki praised the partnership and called for similar facilities at KCCA division offices, markets and other workplaces across Kampala.
“If it were not for the good working relationship we have with our partners, we would not have launched this baby-friendly room,” she said.
She said Kampala needs practical measures that allow women to work without compromising the care of their children.
KCCA Deputy Executive Director Benon Kigenyi said the facility reflects the kind of workplace the authority wants to create.
“Women perform best if the safety of their children is guaranteed,” Kigenyi said.
He said the room will allow mothers to provide safe and clean breast milk while continuing with their work.
KCCA Director of Public Health and Environment Dr Sarah Zalwango said the authority joins other institutions that have introduced breastfeeding spaces for workers.
She said KCCA-managed facilities at Busega Market and Wandegeya Market also have breastfeeding spaces.
Laura Ahumuza Turinawe from the Ministry of Health welcomed the initiative. She said employers have a role in helping mothers continue breastfeeding after returning to work.
GAIN’s Musa Mutyaba said the organisation works with institutions and companies to establish breastfeeding corners at workplaces.
He said such facilities give mothers a suitable environment to breastfeed while remaining productive at work.
UNICEF nutrition officer Muzafalu Ssenyondo also welcomed the initiative, saying supportive environments benefit mothers and their children.
The City Hall facility is expected to give nursing mothers more privacy and flexibility while allowing them to continue breastfeeding after returning to work.
