Uganda is ‘blessed’ with bad politicians at the top. These have got all the priorities upside down. It is unbelievable that resource allocation is done in State House. What the powers at State House see as priorities is what takes the day. It is therefore no surprise that at this moment in time, there were resources to see NRM MPs go to constituencies to bribe voters to endorse Museveni as a single NRM Presidential candidate come 2016. When did this become a priority in a country where many of the economic indicators are a real mess.
When you talk about the incentives for investors, the bureaucracy is enough to put off many of the-would be potential investors, the currency depreciates every other day. You have to do a lot of calculation if you are to put up a processing plant in Uganda. The cost of power will simply put you out of business if you ever make a miscalculated risk by starting production before doing the right calculation.
We have seen instances where funds though a drop in the ocean are sent to the districts and not enough time is available to see the absorption of these funds, and in the process, the money is taken back. When this money is taken back, there is no assurance that it gets to the consolidated fund. The case where Kirumira was a beneficiary of such money is well known.
The local governments have a lot in form of work plans which if well funded would help in easing the unemployment, unfortunately, evidence around is such that these governments get a drop in the ocean, yet the Government created a lot of useless infrastructure like the District Committees which recruit manpower. It would make a lot of sense if these were on a regional basis instead of each district having such a commission of its own. It is also true that the allowances of the councilors and other political leaders negatively impact on the resources that would be available for development, yet much of the resources to the local councils is eaten by those responsible.
Today, Rwanda has lesson for Uganda simply because there is political will and patriotism, while here, we have a group that is simply after seeing President Museveni in power, however impoverished the people may be made.
You can for example wonder how a decision was made to spend the billions on a parking lot for the MPs, which parking is yet to be fully operational as additional shs 25 bn is needed for security. These irresponsible decisions are greatly responsible for the continued unemployment of the youth in Uganda.
There have been complaints about the army of Presidential Advisors whose output is believed not to be that worth the pay they get which to some is more like a retirement package.
Things are upside down in Uganda, and what makes it worse is that many of the would be policy makers including the MPs are compromised such that they make and or endorse decisions which seem to make political sense but not economic sense hence the continued unemployment and wastage of manpower.
YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT IS MOST PRESSING PROBLEM - GOVERNMENT
Publish Date: Aug 14, 2013
By Vision Reporter
President Yoweri Museveni has acknowledged that unemployment is the main problem affecting the youth in the country and the entire world and said that government is tackling the problem by among other things attracting and facilitating foreign investment.
He however expressed disappointment that most Ugandans have not realised the importance of attracting investment.
“You the youth leaders should sensitize the youth to know their real enemies. Anyone who is sabotaging an investor foreign or local is your enemy. Investors are the source of employment. Even within the movement there are many people who do not understand the importance of investors. The worlds’ biggest economy the United States of America is still attracting investment from countries like Japan” he said.
The President who was the chief guest was addressing youth at National celebrations to mark the International youth day at Kiyunga Islamic primary school in Mukono district. This year’s youth day national cerebrations were held under the theme “Investing in Youth livelihood; a pathway to achieving vision 2040.”
Museveni said in America you will find a Toyota factory and that’s not a Japanese factory because Japanese factories are in Japan, but here people talk of an Indian factory. He said Indian factories are in India and all factories in Uganda are Ugandan factories, calling on the youth to do away with detractors.
The President expressed gratitude that the youth leaders had taken a firm stand against rioters who scare away investors and disrupt peoples business.
He revealed that the government was working on how to avail affordable finance to the youth. He said that although the government has raised some funds the problem has been on how to channel it to the rightful beneficiaries without being abused. He encouraged the youth to work with their parents, engage in modern agriculture and produce for the market.
Museveni said the National Resistance Movement takes care of the Ugandan youth before birth by giving free pre-natal care to mothers so as to have health children and ensures that Ugandan mothers deliver under the care of trained birth attendants, the reason he said the government has built and equipped thousands of health center 2’s, 3’s and 4’s throughout the country.
The President said that after birth all Ugandan children are freely immunized from all immunizable diseases to ensure that they live longer and are given free education through the UPE and USE programs.
He noted that after secondary level the government further sponsors 4000 best students for university education, gives thousands of scholarships to the youth through the district quota system and has put in place a student loan scheme where the youth can get loans to pay for their education at tertiary level and pay back when they get employment.
Muuseveni revealed that the government current pre-occupation is to build a technical school at every constituency and later roll it up to the sub-county level with a view to ensure that the Ugandan youth are equipped with technical, managerial and entrepreneurship skills.
He also launched the “Youth go green Champaign” in which Ugandan youth will plant millions of trees in an effort to protect the environment throughout the year,
He used the occasion to advise the youth to be disciplined avoid alcoholism, drug abuse, promiscuity and work hard in order to succeed in life.
In their memorandum read by the Chairman of the National youth council Mr. Samuel Kavuma appealed to the government to apply a multi-sector and multi-dynamic approach in solving the unemployment problem in Uganda which he said was the main challenge to the youth in the country. He also called for the increased funding of the National youth councils and asked government to have a special component targeting the youth in the National Agriculture Advisory Service program. They commended the President for his endless interventions in finding solutions to problems affecting the Ugandan youth.
