By Ben Ssebuguzi
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has immense passion for empowering Ugandans who are outside the money economy especially young people who are disadvantaged. This can be gauged by his numerous field activities in his office, the ONC (Office of the National Chairman) headed by his charismatic chief Chief Muzzukulu, SPA Hajjat Hadijah Uzeiye Namyalo who on several occasions has been reported by media many times for distributing self-empowerment tools to youths (Bazukkulu) irrespective of political denomination across the country.
Specifically this anchors well to the NRM’s five promises of the 2021 elections of; creating more jobs and wealth, Delivering Health and Education, Ensuring Justice and Equality, Protecting life and property, and achieving Political and economic integration.
To justify this, Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo recently organised the first-ever Royal Kasiki for Kyabazinga, where various youth and women from different sub-regions in Busoga were empowered with startup capital tools to fight household poverty. These items included deep fryers, welding machines, car washing machines, G.nuts grinding machines, and bricklaying machines. spraying pumps, hoes, fertilizers, seeds, and popcorn machines among others.
During the fete, Hajjat Namyalo reminded them to start up and expand into Small and Medium Enterprises in order to have a trickle-down and multiplier effect on the economy. Without any delay, in a similar style, Hajjat Uzeiye Namyalo, delegated Kintu Moses, the Assistant Communication Manager to represent her at the belated Youth Day celebrations at Bujuuko Parish in Muduuma subcounty, Mpigi District just last weekend, where the same assortment of self-empowerment items was given out to different groups.
The groups which benefitted included among others; Kirengete Youth Development, Kyosiga Kyokungula Muduuma, Mpigi district Youth Committee, Mpigi Women with Disability, Tukolerewamu Development, Agali Awamu Development Group, Bujuuko Youth Development and Kayabwe group among others.
Why is ONC empowering disadvantaged youths?
Disadvantaged youths face a number of challenges Limited Access to quality education because they might attend underfunded schools which might hinder their economic progress, Financial constraints where many youths come from low-income families,; Lack of access to Guidance and mentorship, and limited networking opportunities among others which causes Economics injustice hence requiring appropriate interventions to address the aforementioned challenges.
It is estimated that around 20% of young people have the potential to become entrepreneurs, yet only 5% do.
Nevertheless, ONC is interested in empowering future successful entrepreneurs, that is why we empower those who have a good state of mind of hard work, sacrifice, and appetite for creating wealth. Plus those who can defy all odds and take a leap of faith to say, Yes! That is why the Office of the National Chairman wants to use the money to implement real change, impacting lives today and over the long term. The Office also wants to see the turnaround of the lives of youths.
At the end of the day, ONC will be producing successful entrepreneurs who started with tiny humble beginnings to success. All these ONC Programs go a long way to complement other anti-poverty popular schemes like PDM and Emyooga.
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The writer, Ben Ssebuguzi is the Head of the Research Office of the National Chairman-NRM, Kyambogo.
