Youth councillors in Gulu district have given banks that are responsible for the distribution of the “youth funds” in the municipality a 14 days ultimatum to declare with immediate effect those individuals that have already benefitted from the funds.

They say that unless this is done, they will organise youth mass protests in the entire region; since it is the youth that are suffering due to the lack of employment and they are not receiving the funds. 

The declaration was made by Komakech Robert who is the chairperson of Gulu District Youth Council from Kakanyero Hotel while speaking during a community dialogue organised on the youth funds by the Media Association of Northern Uganda and the Agency for Cooperation and Research in Development. 

“For us to build confidence in the youth funds we need to know the numbers of youth who have benefitted so far since its declaration; like their sub county, Division where they live otherwise we feel it is just a mechanism by the government to look responsible and give more business to the banks since many young people are opening bank accounts hoping to get the money,” he said.

Komakech added that Gulu has over 30000 youths and one of them is yet to receive the money yet the different banks including Stanbic, DFCU and Centenary banks claim that some youths have already collected the money.

Moses Kerali a business banker with Stanbic bank which was the only bank that turned up for the meeting said that the youths should avert from thinking about violence all the time, yet they are the ones who are failing to tell their fellow  youths at the grassroots about the procedures to acquire the funds.  He said that the banks are under no obligation to give the number of youth that have benefitted from the funds, which was received with uproar in the room.

Owor Authur Spenda the Director of Media Association of Northern Uganda (MANU) said that the youths should target dialogue by engaging the different actors in the youth funds like their MPs and the local leaders

“No Mr Chairperson, demonstration will get us nowhere lets us take diplomacy for the betterment of the young people in this region and not try to be so emotional,” Authur said.

He added that MANU together with the youth leaders in the district tabled before the Speaker of Parliament a petition clearly spelling out the unigue issues affecting the youth in Northern Uganda and through that petition, they requested parliament to compel the banks to declare who has benefitted so far from the Youth Funds.