By the time she reached 36 years of age, Mariam Nabatanzi Babirye had given birth to 44 children. Known as Maama Uganda, she experienced fifteen multiple deliveries that included three sets of quadruplets, four sets of triplets, and six sets of twins. Her large family size stems from a rare genetic condition, but her history involves a tragic early life, a forced marriage to an older man, and the daily logistical challenge of feeding and housing a massive household of 60 people in central Uganda.
A Childhood Marred by Tragedy
Babirye was born around 1980, and her biological mother abandoned the family just three days later. When Babirye was seven years old and away visiting a relative, her stepmother secretly mixed cut glass into the food of her five older siblings, killing all of them. In 1993, a twelve-year-old Babirye was forced into marriage with a physically abusive 40-year-old polygamous man. Her father-in-law provided a plot of land, and she gave birth to her first set of twins at age 13.
The Reality of Hyperovulation
She soon delivered triplets, followed by quadruplets. This was not unusual to her, as her own father had 45 children with various women, all arriving in multiple births. Babirye has a genetic condition causing hyperovulation due to enlarged ovaries. After her sixth delivery, a doctor warned that attempting to stop having children would cause her early death. By age 23, she already had 25 children. In 2019, a gynecologist performed a tubal ligation to prevent further pregnancies. Thirty-eight of her children remain alive today.
Housing a Family of Sixty
In 2015, Babirye’s husband abandoned the family and sold their homestead. Babirye’s grandmother took them in, and following her death, relatives permitted them to stay. Today, Babirye lives in the village of Kasawo in the Mukono district. Her household contains roughly 60 people, including her children, grandchildren, and daughters-in-law. They inhabit a complex of five cement-block houses. Out of 15 bedrooms, nine have absolutely no beds. Twenty-four children currently share just four usable bunk beds.
Working Toward Full Independence
Babirye works as a tailor, herbalist, and hairdresser while relying on donor supplies. She owes a balance of 5 million Ugandan shillings, or about 1,400 United States dollars, to her grandmother’s relatives to acquire full property ownership. She plans to buy new iron roofing sheets, 25 bunk beds, and 66 mattresses. She also hopes to purchase agricultural land and eventually open a restaurant, a bridal salon, and an event management service to employ her older children.