A section of youth subscribing to the ruling National Resistance Movement [NRM] Party in Acholi Sub-region have threatened to join Bobi wine’s camp over what they describe as failure by president Museveni to honour his pledges to them.
The youth said since April 2012 when president Museveni pledged to help them during a meeting with youth leaders from the region at his country home in Rwakitura, Kiruhura District, they haven’t seen anything yet.
The NRM youth claim the April 2012 Rwakitura meeting was a attended by a total of 248 of them.
Speaking to journalists in Gulu town on last week, Mr Richard Owacgui, the NRM Youth Chairperson in the region said the president had promised to support their saving group named [Bulu SACCO—Bulu means youth in Luo] but has not met has todate has remained silent on the pledge.
Owacgui said among others the president pledged to donate 70 Motorcycles for the SACCO members, 21 motorcycles for youth leaders in Acholi to aid mobilization, individual compensation, and award of University scholarships. Other pledges, he said, included 40 iron sheets and 100 bags of cement for each youth, startup capital inform of Oxen, and ox-ploughs.
According to Mr Owacgiu, after the Rwakitura meeting, the youth leaders sat down and drafted an administrative cost for running the SACCO office which included six months’ rent and submitted it to the Principal Private Secretary in the Office president but since then no reply has been made.
“We are reminding the president that the pledge he made to us has been in waiting for the last seven years, we demand that he fulfills the pledges. When you make pledges, they are like debts and you ought to pay them,” Mr Owacgiu.
“We have so many of our youth unemployed, we had relied on the president’s pledge that once he injects money into the Sacco, we would be able to borrow money and open up businesses but this hasn’t happened, the youth are languishing in poverty now instead,” He said.
Mr Mugisha Anywar, the LCV Councilor Laguti Sub-county in Pader District said that they are left with no other option but to join the Kyadondo East Legislator Bobi Wine’s ‘‘People Power’’ camp to fight Museveni’s lies.
Mugisha said the NRM has been using the youth during election period with empty promises adding that after elections, the youth are abandoned.
“We shall become Bobi Wine ourselves,’’ said Mugisha.
He noted that president Museveni has been acting fast on delivering his promises to NRM youth party members in Kampala, Rukungi, Bugiri and Jinja leaving out those in Northern Uganda.
He cited September last year’s president Museveni’s Shs 100m donation to Kamwokya ghetto youth and Shs 5billion donation to 110 groups in Rukungiri district in April.
Mr Anywar also said the youth are demanding to meet the president to deliver their grievances when he is in Gulu on Friday January 18 when he’s expected to open a seed processing factory.
Rogers Mulindwa, the NRM party spokesperson when contacted said that the president will listen to the youth grievances when in Gulu.
“He is coming to hear from the people of Acholi, let them[youth] be patient, he will listen to the youth through their leaders come Friday,” Mr Mulindwa said.