Masindi Youth Complain Over Unfulfilled Presidential Pledge

Members of Masindi District Youth Livelihood Support Cooperative are unhappy with the president for failing to fulfil a Shs. 30 million pledge he promised to channel to the cooperative.

President Yoweri Museveni reportedly made the pledge in May last year while on a tour of the Bunyoro sub-region, in a rally he held at Kyatiriri primary school in Pakanyi Sub County, Masindi district.

“President Yoweri Museveni promised to support us with 30 million Ugandan shillings, but up to today we haven’t received a single coin of that money,” said Joseph Wamani Ogaino, the cooperative’s Chairman.

Wamani, who doubles as the district male Youth Councillor reveals that, following the delay in receipt of the presidential largesse, the members of the cooperative wrote to the then Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Masindi district, Godfrey Nyakahuma, requesting him to remind the president to fulfil the pledge, but nothing has been forthcoming from that avenue. 

He says that several attempts have been made to get to the president through other relevant authorities like the district Chairman, Cosmas Byaruhanga, and even some State House officials, all in vain. 

“Once we receive that money, we hope to put it to proper use so that the members of our youth cooperative can benefit from it,” he says, adding that failure by the president to fulfil his pledges could come at a political cost.

“In case the pledge is not fulfilled it may cause political confusion amongst the youth in the district,” he warns. 

Wamani says the youths are not short on viable development ideas but only need the proper support.

“For instance, Balamu Barugahara (a prominent Ugandan investor) gave us Shs. 5 million prior to the Empango celebrations, which we used to open up a 10 acre maize plantation at Kihonda demonstration farm in Pakanyi Sub County,” he says. 

Masindi District Youth Livelihood Support Cooperative has a membership of over 200 youth, primarily engaged in saving and offering credit services to members, as well as farming.