DNA Tests Are Upending Ugandan Families — Clergy and Elders Urge Compassion

Moses Kutoi, a clan leader and mayor in Nabumali, eastern Uganda, spends much of his time quietly mediating one of the country’s most painful family disputes: men who worry that some of their children do not resemble them. For Kutoi, who draws on traditional teachings that regard such talk as taboo, these confrontations are painful but often necessary to prevent marriages from collapsing or turning violent.

As DNA testing becomes more widely available in Uganda, high-profile cases and aggressive advertising have brought paternity questions into the open. Clergy and community elders are increasingly urging restraint and compassion, even as labs report a surge in demand for tests that can have devastating consequences for families.

Rising demand and heartbreaking results

The national Ministry of Internal Affairs operates an accredited laboratory that conducts court-ordered tests and records voluntary requests. Simon Peter Mundeyi, a ministry spokesman, told reporters that about 95% of those who come for DNA tests are men, and that more than 98% of results in recent months have shown those men are not the biological fathers. "Do not seek DNA proof of paternity unless you have a strong heart," Mundeyi warned.

Private clinics and laboratories now advertise DNA services widely — on radio, billboards and even taxi windows in Kampala. But in smaller towns such as Nabumali, many families cannot afford private testing: fees at the only private lab in nearby Mbale exceed $200, putting the service out of reach for much of the population.

Local customs, legal fights and inheritance

Traditionally, accusing someone openly of not being a child's parent was taboo and could draw punishment from village elders. Kutoi says elders used to caution or fine anyone who publicly questioned paternity. "You are not supposed to pronounce that I am suspecting that this child is not mine," he says, adding that drunkenness was not an excuse for breaking the taboo.

Today, paternity disputes more often surface in cases of inheritance or divorce, when property and support are at stake. In recent high-profile litigation, court-ordered testing in Kampala revealed that a wealthy academic was not the biological father of one of his three children — a case that triggered wide discussion across social classes.

Pastors and elders step in

Religious leaders and mediators say they regularly encounter paternity claims and try to steer families toward reconciliation. Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba urged worshippers to show compassion, invoking the example of Joseph accepting Jesus and advising that children be cared for regardless of DNA results. The Rev. Robert Wantsala of Mbale said he usually tells parishioners to "leave the matter to God" and to treat children born in the home as family, reflecting long-standing African traditions that prioritize social parentage.

“When they come, in whichever way they come, children are children,”

Andrew Mutengu, pastor of Word of Faith Ministries in Mbale, runs counseling sessions for his roughly 800 congregants and intervenes in disputes to protect children's wellbeing. He believes more men would pursue tests if costs fell, despite clerical appeals for tolerance.

Human fallout and small acts of discretion

Many couples who seek mediation arrive with relationships already frayed. Kutoi defuses tension with self-deprecating humor and by sharing his own family story: despite not resembling his father, he was named the family heir and became a clan leader among the Bagisu people. While disowning children is rare, Kutoi says some fathers quietly provide for disputed sons in ways that keep them away from the central ancestral compound.

Such cases underscore a larger dilemma: modern biological testing collides with cultural practices that define parentage by social bonds and responsibilities. As DNA testing spreads, communities, courts and families in Uganda are having to navigate both legal facts and longstanding moral expectations.