A section of Ugandan politicians have attacked President Yoweri Museveni over his new plan to improve youth employment, which includes investing in the furniture industry.
While presenting the 2017 State of the Nation Address, Museveni acknowledged that Uganda today has got a huge number of young people, but the only problem is that so many of them do not have either wealth or jobs (obugaga oba emirimu).
He argued; “ How much furniture does Uganda import from China and Dubai? How many pairs of shoes does Uganda import from outside? How many metres of textile does Uganda import? How much pharmaceutical units does Uganda import? How much vaccines for humans and livestock does Uganda import? How much glass, how much fertilizers, how much steel? How many auto-mobiles, how many motorcycles? How many, even, bicycles? How much processed coffee and processed fruits? Is it a wonder that many of our young people neither have jobs nor wealth? The answer is that we have donated both the wealth and the jobs to the outsiders.”
Museveni said that using only Shs. 271 million through the State House Comptroller, ha has bought common user machines for the furniture makers of Nsambya, a group with 2,000 members.
He has also given support to 105 groups in the Katwe area with a membership of 1,570 and to 17 groups in the Najeera area with a membership of 510. The Katwe ─ Najeera area groups are, mainly, in metal cutting, bending, etc. In Katwe, I used Shs. 375 million and in Najeera, I used Shs. 337 million.
“Apart from supporting groups that are already engaged in artisanal efforts, through my State House Comptroller, I am now supporting 711 young girls to do: baking, embroidery, textile weaving, shoes making, knitting, etc,. Every intake of 6 months costs us Uganda Shs. 486 million, including giving them lunch and daily transport of Shs. 2,000 per person. This is Kampala based. We want to decentralize to the Kampala divisions” the president added.
He promised that this will mean that these youth are transformed from being idle and unemployed into wealth creators and job creators.
However, former presidential candidate Abed Bwanika, disagrees with Museveni, saying that says Museveni failed to account for his previous promises. He also dismissed claims by Museveni that the country is generating surplus electricity as false. According to Bwanika, all is not rosy in the country as claimed by the president.
“When he talks about skilling the youth, you cannot skill the youth with handouts, that’s what he is doing. If you are going to skill the youth, we must be talking about vocational schools, technical schools in a very structured way. You cannot simply start getting 270M, you give it to Nambya, and another 300 you give it to Najjera” Bwanika said.
Wilfred Niwagaba, the Shadow Attorney General, says there was nothing unusual in the State of the Nation Address save for the president's admission of insecurity in the country.
Reagan Okumu, the Aswa County MP says the State of the Nation Address didn't meet his expectations. According to Okumu, the president failed to address key issues in the country and focused on petty issues.
But Rose Mutonyi, the Bubulo West MP, said the president did an excellent job especially in regards to the youth programs and an employment.
Reverend Canon Aaron Musingye, the Director Religious Affairs in the Office of the President, says the president was very silent on some issues. According to Musingye, he is expected the president to speak on morality.
Catherine Lamwaka, the Gulu Woman MP, says Museveni was on point as he brought out examples of what has been done over the past year.
