KAMPALA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DETERMINE THEIR ROLE IN NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION

THE ROLE OF THE YOUTH IN NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION

Presentation to the students of Kampala University

By Ms Sarah Bireete

Director of Programmes

Center for Constitutional Governance (CCG)

Uganda has one of the largest populations of young people with 21.3% between 18-30 years according to the UBOS Statistical Abstract for 2010. The youthful population increases to 55.7% when you take the age category 6-30 years. The centrality of the youth in Uganda’s development therefore should be treated as a priority because our demographic trends characterized by a very young and youthful population.

According to the study on youths and unemployment in Africa, 83.3% of the Ugandan youth are unemployed and 93.8% of these are living on less than two dollars per day. This makes our youth one of the poorest in the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa and has greatly contributed to the high dependency ratio of 1:1.17, the highest in Africa.

The youths have been treated as a special interest group and have political representation at different levels in local councils, local governments and in the national parliament. However, their representation sometimes has no clear and direct agendas that reflect the needs of young people to integrate in national dialogues and debate. The need to recognize the potential and allow for the fulfillment of young people’s potentials as active players in the transformation of the country. It is true that our society can make real progress if it has an enlightened, informed and engaged youth prepared to build a brighter future.

Institutions of higher learning are centers of Excellency and should promote highly intellectual and ideologically grounded discourse through debate and other mechanisms that encourage exchange of ideas in institutions of learning and the bigger society.

At one of our dialogues, young people – university students decided to start a campaign for ‘Love for Uganda and humanity’. This declaration was manifested in the GARUGA DECLARATION as the cornerstone to development and national transformation by the youth.

H.E THABO MBEKI, while commenting on students and activism in Africa stated that - “It’s true that by the time we grew up; there was a very vibrant intelligentia which was very much engaged in activism issues. But these days, there is too much intervention of the African states against the Universities. Governments see Universities as centers of opposition. This African intelligencia in the process got intimidated and the Universities have not yet recovered including financially and this calls for a conscious intervention by the African intellectuals.

"The progressive voice that was trying to define where Africa should go died away in regard to universities because of the manner in which the ruling groups in Africa acted against universities."

This in general has put Africa's progressive movement in retreat.”

There is an urgent need for an overhaul of our education system so that the system's products can have a direct link with what the employment market wants. The increasing unemployment rates in Uganda are not just a result of fewer jobs in the market, no; it has a lot to do with the capacity of the graduates to meet the employment demands including creativity and the capacity to create jobs.

The education system should be tailored to suit the employment demands/ to solve the challenges of the day. For example, currently, for every 10 graduates, only one graduate can get a job and the question that arises here is "where do the nine graduates go?", what happens to them, their families?

"The challenge, therefore, that I would like to pause to the youths- as the generation leaders - mind you, I will not pause this challenge to government because I know they do not have the capacity to provide a solution- the young people should study the development scenarios in Uganda, in East Africa, Africa and the World and systematically analyse the job demands and then design a programme/strategy of satisfying the available employment demands." This, in my view, is the only solution to the existing unemployment in the country.

Also based on this study, Universities should be able to design course units that will promote creative thinking, that will promote entrepreneurship, etc and in the end provide a lasting solution to unemployment crisis.

There is also urgent need for the mind shift by the youth/students themselves. Most students envisage employment only in terms of government jobs, public service jobs, big corporations, etc. This needs to change your thinking/altitude if you are going to be part of the solution to the unemployment puzzle in Uganda; if you are going to be positive agents of socio-economic change in this country.

For example, before the colonial era, Africans used to farm their gardens using locally made hoes by the blacksmiths. When the colonialists came, everything African, everything locally made, all our civilization was declared backward! And we gladly clapped and threw our creativity, our enterprennual skills, and our development out of the window. And now we are completely stuck with 80% of our population as peasants- walking bare footed, tilling the land with imported hoes from China, and with no market for their products!  A big chuck of our population is stuck in poverty, malnutrition, disease, hunger and we are all watching helplessly!

We tend to be comfortable with announcements about how our GDP has increased, about how our economy can grow every year, but the question that the youths should be asking is WHOSE ECONOMY IS GROWING? IS THIS THE ECONOMY OF THE PEASANTS - THE 80% OR OF ABOUT 4 % OF UGANDANS?

The youth must interrogate these statistics, they must demand for details. Because, and this is very serious, after these announcements, year after year, the real Ugandans, rural or urban, are becoming poorer and poorer.

The youths/students must devise ways of changing the status quo because the status quo does not favour them. "The planners of the country are not bothered about your lives, your future, YOU MUST PLAN FOR YOUR SELVES".

The Theme of the day – transformation

The big question that arises now is why are we still talking about transformation now???? What are the key challenges??

Today's governance is characterized by a breakdown of institutions; abuse of the trust ship duty by government; Land grabbing; corruption; lack of economic justice; dehumanization, unemployment; barefooted people and the  jiggers epidemic in the 21st century, among others.

It’s important to note that if a government does not pay attention to its people, then foreigners will automatically occupy the vacuum. Classical examples to explain this scenario is the Cuba and the Libya revolutions. Both Gaddafi and Fidel Castro claimed to be revolutionary leaders but because the Cuban government takes care of its people, USA has failed for decades to overthrow the Cuban revolution. But in Libya, because the "revolution" did not pay attention to its people, the USA swept it out in a few months.

What kind of mind shift should the young people have in order to transform this nation? Why have countries like Malaysia and Singapore developed and Uganda is still struggling with Jiggers?

The time has come for the youth to take their country seriously and conquer their fear in order to take the necessary steps and deliver the much needed transformation.

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo

Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria stated that - The youths are the foundation of a society. Their energy, inventiveness, character and orientation define the pace of development and the security of a nation. Through their creative talents and labour power, a nation makes giant strides in economic development and socio-political attainments. In their dreams and hopes, a nation finds her motivation; on their energies, she builds her vitality and purpose. And because of their dreams and aspirations, the future of a nation is assured -

Examples of the required transformation:
1. How can the youth ensure that we build better democracy and governance practices?
2. What are the youth obligations to themselves, their communities and to the nation?
3. The youth enjoy some rights but what are the obligations that accrue from the rights that they enjoy?
4. How can the youth demand for accountability using their right of access to information?
5. How can the youth hold their different leaders accountable (the Executive, Parliament, Local Councils and the Youth Councils)?
6. How can the youth demand effective service delivery?

The youth, can indeed achieve all the above and much more if they are committed and make clear demands to the responsible people.

Uganda is a unique country in the World because for its fifty years of Independence, Ugandans have never witnessed peaceful handover of power! We can only achieve regime change by using violence! This is critical for the young people in Uganda today to engage because 80% of our population is composed of young people. Why should the young people allow the 20% to dominate them?

What kind of Uganda can the young people bring about??
1. A country back on the road to constitutional governance and democracy

2. Ugandans feeling a sense of belonging, security, and peace

3. A country where each person's views are respected and tolerated

4. A country where citizens enjoy their rights and exercise free political processes

5. A corruption free country

6. A country where everybody is valued and respected.

The future of Uganda is in your hands and like the Americans say "Ask not what your country has done for you, ask what you have done for your country."

And as I conclude, I will leave you with the words of Franz Fannon who stated that "Every generation has got its cause and it’s their duty either to fulfill or betray it".

THE TIME FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLE TO RE- AFFIRM THEIR ZEAL AND DEFEND THEIR MOTHERLAND IS NOW!

FOR GOD AND MY COUNTRY