President Yoweri Museveni met youth from the Western Region at Lake View Hotel Mbarara.
The youth from Rwenzori, Kigezi, Greater Bushenyi, Bunyoro, Kabarole and Greater Mbarara sub-regions vowed to continually support the President, commended his policies and style of leadership.
At the meeting where several NRM cadres from the west gathered, the Youth memoranda endorsed President Museveni as NRM flag bearer for the 2016 general elections.
“Amooti Gen. Museveni, we bring you greetings from His Majesty Solomon Gafabusa and convey our support for the NRM and your candidature in 2016,” said the youth from Bunyoro.
The Kigezi youth on the same note appreciated the President’s kindness clarifying that they have never seen him angered.
“Your Excellency, we support the NRM and love your style of leadership; you have led us very well. You are the only President we know who we have never seen angry. We are happy with your leadership," observed the youth from Kigezi.
“We congratulate Your Excellency upon winning the 2011 elections. We, however, are not happy with some of the people below you who are supposed to be the link between us and the centre," Kigezi youth added to very big applause.
The youth from Kabarole thanked the President for converting the Army "from a ragtag to a professional force”.
The President said that poverty, unemployment, lack of capital and lack of technical and entrepreneurial skills are the major problems affecting the youth.
“Somebody who can't be advised doesn't listen and gets into problems. If you read all documents of NRM, we point out those four points and have worked consistently to resolve them,” he noted.
"In the 1996 manifesto, we put the formula to resolve poverty in the countryside in black and white. The latest figures of 2002 showed that only 32% of homesteads in Uganda were in the money economy, 68% in subsistence agriculture. The poverty we talk about is a direct consequence of subsistence farming," the President noted.
He warned Ugandans against land fragmentation.
"Kigezi, one of the most fertile parts of Uganda is now immobilised because of poor human settlements," the President noted.
For the case of jobs, the President directed the Ministry of Education on offering correct career guidance to students.
“I told the Ministry of Education about career guidance a long time ago. The jobs are there, but the skills required for those jobs you don't have; we have got shortage of doctors, show me one doctor who is unemployed. When you acquire a degree in conflict resolution, what will happen to you when conflicts are over? How much do you earn from degrees of women studies, SWASA, pleasure, facilitation. A child of a rich man can study Latin, but if you are a child of a poor man, study what is required in the market," he said to ululations by the youth.
He also said that industry would help the youth get out of poverty and urged the youth to politically support industry and oppose all those who are against factories.
Earlier, Prof. Augustus Niwagaba presented a paper on 'The role of the Youth in Transformation’.
He thanked President Museveni for instilling discipline in the Armed Forces and called upon the President to put emphasis on public service similar to what he put on security agencies causing stability in Uganda.
Prof. Niwagaba noted that Uganda is among the countries with highest economic growth rates in the world with (5 - 6% per annum).
“These high rates happen without sufficient infrastructure development, electricity, roads...., How about if we develop sufficient infrastructure? Peace and security has been the hall-mark for this growth. We salute UPDF and other security agencies for the job well done.”
"It is attitude not aptitude which delivers a person to the altitude. You hear people talking of youth of these days, there isn't such a thing, you are all youth of Uganda," Prof. Niwagaba added to applause.
He assured the youth that the President has been working on software systems but is currently working on infrastructure and on energy.
“Now that Government is working on energy and infrastructure, what is going to happen is structural growth of the economy.”
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