This study examined the potential of traditional ways of passing on sexual knowledge from adult to younger women (the senga institution) among the Baganda of central Uganda, as a potential tool for STI/HIV prevention today. Traditional and contemporary forms of the institution were studied, and their strengths and weaknesses assessed. Data were collected using qualitative research methods. The senga institution comprises four components: Social responsibility, moral authority, appropriate knowledge and a suitable socio-economic environment. Although senga practises have been weakened and the way in which they are viewed by adolescent girls and the community in general has changed, the institution can still be exploited to develop more culturally appropriate forms of sex education for girls, particularly out of school girls and adolescent mothers. © 2001 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.