Youth blame politics as jobs and militarization of society 

Youth leaders and activists have criticized the degenerative and corrupting practice of turning politics into the most paying job and a selfish die-or-do scramble without regard for social cohesion and common prosperity.

They observed that commercialization of politics has excluded many poor and young people with potential for leadership transformation, writes JOHN MUSINGUZI.

This was  organised by the African Youth Development Link (AYDL) at Hotel Africana on July 31, 2024. With the theme, ‘The 2026 general election in Uganda: opportunities, challenges and strategies for meaningful youth participation’, and sponsored by USAID, the dialogue brought together officials of government agencies, young leaders, activists and other stakeholders.

The youth from various organisations and associations engaged with staff from Electoral Commission, Uganda Human Rights Commission and National Identification and Registration Authority to enhance civic education and competency, and to lay strategies for encouraging more youth to participate in electoral processes and have their voices heard and their demographic potential realized.

Key organisations included Uganda National Students Association, National Youth Council, Inter-Party Youth Platform and Youth Coalition on Electoral Democracy in Uganda. Barbra Mulimira, District Election Administrator for Kampala, delivered a keynote on harnessing youth power to achieve optimal youth participation.

She advised youth to avoid engaging in unlawful and dangerous activities such as pre-age voting and electoral violence. She said the Electoral Commission, which has already put out the roadmap for the 2026 general elections, will employ many youths on part-time basis for about two years.

She described the electoral process as a multi-stakeholders’ responsibility, encouraged youth to contest for various positions, and called for peaceful resolution of any dispute through either the Electoral Commission or courts of law. Kamadi Byonabye, a director at Uganda Human Rights Commission, urged the youth to utilise their demographic advantage to influence the course of Uganda’s politics so that they live in a Uganda they desire and believe in.

He urged the youth to utilise the expanding digital infrastructure to participate in political discourse and mobilisation, and to hold leaders accountable. Youth have the duty to carry out peer civic education and bring up a politically conscious and responsible generation despite challenges of unemployment and corruption, he stressed.

Byonabye criticized the pessimism and cynicism towards elections that is common among the youth as negative attitudes that are self- hurting and counterproductive. He argued that free, fair and transparent elections are not determined by what takes place on the d-day of voting but, rather, the observance of various attendant rights such as the freedom of assembly, freedom of association and freedom of expression.

He enjoined youth to shun treating politics as a job worth replacing their skills and professions, and genuine service to society. Lynette Nanyonjo from Inter-Party Youth Platform, quoted a recent Afrobarometer report which said 80 per cent of Ugandan youths are opposed to military rule and the creeping militarization of broader society.

Julius Mucunguzi, head of Communications at Electoral Commission, counseled the youth to have long forecast about their own future because youth is not a permanent state.

“Your big numbers are not enough; you must add value to yourselves by, for example, information, discipline and organisation. Do not ignore the local rural and lower-level youth and adults. You have to work with all levels of governance to be able to impact socio-economic transformation,” he said.

Among the strategies brought up were regular and far-reaching civic education, mentorship programmes for youth, and working collectively as a generation with a clear purpose.