{UAH} The Observer - NRM youths fight before Museveni
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The Observer - NRM youths fight before Museveni
Friday, 09 January 2015 00:47
Museveni with some of the youths at Kisozi
A Kisozi ranch meeting between President Museveni and some NRM youth leaders on January 4 boiled over into angry outbursts as a group of gatecrashers from Buganda accused their leaders of being self-seekers, The Observer has been told.
Insider sources said the exchanges turned rowdy when the hitherto-uninvited youths joined the meeting Museveni had with Patrick Nakabale, the youth MP for central region, David Kabanda (NRM youth chairman, Sembabule), Ibrahim Kitatta, (NRM youth chairman, Lwengo) and Willy Omodo Omodo (NRM youth league vice-chairman for northern Uganda) at his Kisozi ranch.
About 30 youths led by Andrew Kiryowa, the Wakiso NRM youth chairperson, almost interrupted the late-evening meeting, demanding that Museveni meets them instead.
"These are self-seekers. They are concerned about their stomachs not the interests of the youths," Kiryowa reportedly said.
Our source said that Kitatta retorted that Kiryowa and his group were hooligans. Kiryowa's group stormed the meeting at about 8pm after getting information that Kitatta and group had deliberately excluded them from the meeting yet they were also NRM youth leaders.
They were first denied entry by personnel from the Special Forces Command but when the president heard that they were around, he ordered they be let in. As they entered the meeting room, Museveni told them to first go and have supper.
Our sources said that by the time they stormed the meeting, Kitatta and group had tabled a demand of Shs 700 million to start income-generating projects of their own.
"We cannot lead the fight against poverty among the youths when we the leaders are poor. We have to lead by example," Kitatta reportedly told the president.
They also reportedly told the president that they needed to be rewarded for standing by him and some feared that since they are about to get out of the youth bracket, they needed a "package" to go with.
Our sources told us that some of the leaders cried out to Museveni to help them repay their bank loans, others talked of how they needed money for political campaigns while some said they needed money to capitalize their collapsing businesses. But before the president could respond to these requests, the drama started.
Kiryowa and his group proceeded to hurl insults at Kittata and group, accusing them of looking to feather their own nests.
"Mr President, these people come here and get money in the name of the youths. They have never delivered anything to us," Kiryowa reportedly said.
For minutes, Museveni kept quiet as the youths exchanged insults. He later intervened when matters seemed to be getting out of hand. He told Kiryowa's group that he could not meet them because he was tired. He said he had taken note of their grievances and would address them.
"I will meet you in March," Museveni reportedly told them instructing Major Edith Nakalema to give them facilitation.
Nakalema told Kiryowa's group that he could only find Shs 3.2 million for them and since they were 30, she proposed that each gets Shs 100,000. They rejected the money, saying it was too little. Nakalema pleaded with the youths to accept what was available but they refused.
We have been told that Kiryowa's group was mobilised by Ronald Kibuule, the minister of state for Youth and Children Affairs, who had been angered that Kitatta's group had last week tried to hold a press conference at which they had planned to issue a "certificate of incompetence" against him.
They were stopped by police. Kitatta's group accuses Kibuule of not doing enough to uplift the welfare of youths, noting that funds for the Youth Livelihood Programme are lying idle. Kitatta, however, denied that they met Museveni for personal gain.
"We are youth leaders and it is in that capacity that the president agreed to meet us. The people saying that we went there to tell him [Museveni] our personal problems are telling you lies," Kitatta told us yesterday.
Eric Sewandagi, one of the youths who stormed the meeting, said he did not regret the act.
"As youths, we have so many problems affecting us but our leaders only care about themselves. At least the president now knows the character of the people he is dealing with," he said.
ekiggundu@observer.ug
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