What Bobi Wine's win means for Uganda

Jul 01, 2017

Like all other social groups, young people have had a legitimate voice and important role in society

By Gilbert Buregyeya Junior

In his victory speech, the new Member of Parliament (MP) for Kyadondo East Kyagulanyi Ssentamu Robert a.k.a Bobi Wine said; "This 29th day of June marks a turning point in the politics of our country! History has been made. The people of Kyadondo East have spoken and their voice is being heard far and wide! The resounding victory is testament that the people of Kyadondo, and indeed the people of Uganda are ready for a new kind of leadership- a leadership which truly represents them. A leadership of the people, by the people and for the people in its true meaning! A leadership in which the citizen is truly the king and the leaders are true servants!"

These words in addition to the proceedings that we Ugandans evidenced have brought many to realise that Ugandan political trends have changed. Kyandondo East by-elections brought very much excitement that Uganda has not had for some very good time. We saw youthful masses get involved in the electoral processes with the highest voter turn up than before. We as well saw how political camps were left in awe after people colluded with the independent candidate's camp which brought a big victory to now Hon. Kyagulanyi. Not only did we see youth supporters coming in to support ‘Bobi Wine', we saw "strong" people from different political parties sympathising and rallying behind him, congratulating him and pledging to support and work with him.

In the area of political participation where a third of countries eligibility for national parliament starts at 25 years old or older, where 1.65% of parliamentarians around the world are in their 20s and 11.87 % are in their 30s, where young people between the ages of 15 and 25 constitute a fifth of the world's population, we should expect much more of the Kyagulanyis to come up and compete for the political space in Uganda. This is the period of transition from dependence to independence that relates to all societies and it serve as one of the fundamental principles of the global agenda concerning youth which now shows young person's self-confidence and trust in society.

This transitional perspective articulates the issue of when and how young people achieve the status of becoming fully operational members of society - and thereby acquire citizenship in all of its dimensions. Like all other social groups, young people have had a legitimate voice and important role in society, but that voice has not been heard adequately and their contribution to the society is not always universally recognized. Young people are a group that was traditionally constructed and perceived as being incapable of making decisions on their own which led to a situation of underrepresentation of youth in decision-making processes which today can be viewed as a real threat to the future of participatory democracy. There has always been political apathy and a lack of interest in joining traditional youth organizations, Low voter turnout and dwindling membership in political parties as well as democratic and governance activities.

Kyagulanyi's win represents a situation in which young people are no longer seen as passive recipients of resources or as the cause of society's ills more especially in Kampala, but rather as vital contributors to their national development - contributors whose efforts are acknowledged and whose involvement is encouraged, it shows that people more especially the youth are now independent of their parties and party decisions. It further indicates that Ugandans now realise the role of institutionalising participation - from the democratic playground to full participation in the democratic activities of their country a reason we saw genuine empowerment best manifested in the youth-initiated and youth-led processes, such as campaigns, high voter turn up, collaboration, rightful use of social media, volunteers to safe guard the votes, and generally a peaceful electoral process.

Uganda youth are now seen as not a passive group waiting for resources and opportunities to be handed to them, they want to make a better life for themselves even with challenges related to globalisation and other changes in the world economy, as well as social and cultural constraints contributing to the currently unfavourable context for youth development and participation.

In line with this trend, new participatory structures have evolved and they tend to be based on collaborative networks and common interests. An enabling environment (political and legal frameworks, policies and plans) for youth development and participation is urgently needed if youth are to attain their full potential and contribute to national development, an enabling environment that provides opportunities for them to be seen and heard. Giving youth greater visibility and a role in the development process strengthens their resolve to contribute to the advancement of a world in which they are equal stakeholders - a world for which they will be responsible for many decades to come.

Young people are not - or not only - "future good citizens in training", a role where they are often pushed back by education and political institutions, "young people are not ‘victims' or ‘problematic' as often claimed, but diverse and critical stakeholders in democracy". They are actors of today's democracy. It has become particularly clear since the beginning of the second decade of the century. Young people have taken the leading role in movements that protest the mechanisms that led to post-democracy and proclaim the urgent need to deepen and expand democracy

Writer is a programme's director at Youth Aid Africa

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