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Letter to youth
Keep pushing boundaries, demanding inclusion and leading with purpose. The world does not just wait for your future leadership; it relies on your leadership today.
MP Goreth Namugga. (Courtesy)
By: Admin ., Journalist @New Vision
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OPINION
By Gorreth Namugga
Dear Uganda’s young stars,
As Uganda joins the global community in commemorating the international youth day observed under the theme “Different contexts and common Aspirations,” and under the sub themes; “of Global solidarity, shared challenges and youth innovation,” this open letter honors the remarkable creativity, resilience and drive of young Ugandans across different cultures, communities, and backgrounds as powerful change makers driving innovation and sustainable development today. Your voices shape our present and define our future.
International Youth Day 2026 recognises that while young people’s lives are shaped by different national and local realities, their aspirations are remarkably similar. Across countries, young people seek dignity, decent work, quality education, peace, social inclusion and a sustainable future.
Aware that you are the primary force moving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) forward through local and global actions, your resilience and creativity continue to break barriers and challenge old systems.
This day is being celebrated in Uganda shortly after the nation concluded its National Population and Housing Census 2024, high stakes general Presidential, Parliamentary, Local Governments and Local Council elections, roll out of National Development Plan (NDP) IV and the National Budget 2026/27 which information is indispensable for guiding planning, policies, and programmes aimed at forstering Social, Economic Transformation, promoting equitable service delivery and achieving Uganda’s vision 2040 while navigating the complex Economic, Political, and Social Domestic challenges.
Despite the global and national interventions, this year’s celebration comes at a time when Uganda faces profound challenges in leadership, politics and the rule of law, driven primarily by the prolonged executive dominance under President Yoweri Museveni Kaguta, the systematic suppression of political opposition and the weakening of democratic institutions. I therefore call for your attention and intervention in finding solutions to the underlisted bottlenecks
1. Uganda’s primary economic challenge is extreme/massive youth unemployment and a severe underemployment crisis driven by a mismatch between academic curriculum and the job market. Although Uganda has one of the youngest populations in the world, those aged 18-30 remain out of Employment, Education and Training (NEET), which is 5,250,768 according to the national context. Youth (18-30) years make a total of 10,769,151 of the 23,154,716 adults (18years and above). Over half of the youth population considers emigrating to look for better economic opportunities abroad, robbing the local economy of valuable human capital. This is further compounded by rising Poverty, underemployment, lack of infrastructure, and widespread institutional corruption.
2. Leadership and economic outreach, prolonged rule, constitutional changes and patronage are among the main hindrances to democratic governance that have continuously locked the majority of the youth from active participation in governance. President Museveni has remained in power since 1986, transforming a post-rebellion government into a centralised autocratic system. The removal of the presidential two-term and age limit in 2005 and 2017, respectively, has enabled President Museveni to run for office unlimited times and past the age of 75 years, effectively removing the legal pathways for a conventional transition. Still, the executive power tightly controls the legislative and judiciary arms, replacing institutional checks and balances with personal elite patronage. I draw your attention to the trend of elections in Uganda.
3. Political repression and restricted civic space, harassment of the Opposition, Digital and Legal censorship and weak party institutions where, high profile opposition figures face regular detention, abductions, unlawful arrests, and physical violence that has of recent forced key political figures flee the country as others are held incommunicado, also legislations like the computer misuse Act 2022 as amended criminalizes online descent while internet blackouts and media restrictions are used to block documentation of state crock down for example switching off of internet during the Presidential and Parliamentary elections 2026, to make matters worse both the ruling and opposition groups suffer from internal factionalism and weak internal democracy due to top down authority.
4. Collapse of the rule of law; executive interference, human rights abuses and militarization & commercialization of politics are major hindrances to youth inclusion in leadership. The executive branch routinely ignores or overrides independent Parliamentary and Judicial decisions, undermining the separation of powers as security forces operate with high impunity, as documented by international bodies for carrying out arbitrary arrest, detention in unauthorised safe houses, torture, and extrajudicial killings. Civilian legal processes are frequently bypassed by deploying military justice frameworks against political critics and protestors, and the use of public resources to bribe voters.
5. Under social inclusion, the youth face escalating Health and substance abuse and exclusion from key decision-making, vulnerability to mental health struggles, limited youth-friendly health services and a rising rate of alcohol or substance abuse that threaten well-being; young people frequently report that leadership and policies talk about them rather than involving them in real, funded decisions. Consider the current employment trend in public service and political appointments.
To navigate these structural hurdles and to drive meaningful change for the rule of law, independent institutions and a clean Government, young people must organise strategically, use digital tools for accountability and move from being passive observers to active participants in the political processes through organising and participating in politics, leveraging technology and information, and fostering integrity and economic independence through;
Despite the global and national interventions, this year’s celebration comes at a time when Uganda faces profound challenges in leadership, politics and the rule of law, driven primarily by the prolonged executive dominance under President Yoweri Museveni Kaguta, the systematic suppression of political opposition and the weakening of democratic institutions. I therefore call for your attention and intervention in finding solutions to the underlisted bottlenecks
1. Uganda’s primary economic challenge is extreme/massive youth unemployment and a severe underemployment crisis driven by a mismatch between academic curriculum and the job market. Although Uganda has one of the youngest populations in the world, those aged 18-30 remain out of Employment, Education and Training (NEET), which is 5,250,768 according to the national context. Youth (18-30) years make a total of 10,769,151 of the 23,154,716 adults (18years and above). Over half of the youth population considers emigrating to look for better economic opportunities abroad, robbing the local economy of valuable human capital. This is further compounded by rising Poverty, underemployment, lack of infrastructure, and widespread institutional corruption.
2. Leadership and economic outreach, prolonged rule, constitutional changes and patronage are among the main hindrances to democratic governance that have continuously locked the majority of the youth from active participation in governance. President Museveni has remained in power since 1986, transforming a post-rebellion government into a centralised autocratic system. The removal of the presidential two-term and age limit in 2005 and 2017, respectively, has enabled President Museveni to run for office unlimited times and past the age of 75 years, effectively removing the legal pathways for a conventional transition. Still, the executive power tightly controls the legislative and judiciary arms, replacing institutional checks and balances with personal elite patronage. I draw your attention to the trend of elections in Uganda.
3. Political repression and restricted civic space, harassment of the Opposition, Digital and Legal censorship and weak party institutions where, high profile opposition figures face regular detention, abductions, unlawful arrests, and physical violence that has of recent forced key political figures flee the country as others are held incommunicado, also legislations like the computer misuse Act 2022 as amended criminalizes online descent while internet blackouts and media restrictions are used to block documentation of state crock down for example switching off of internet during the Presidential and Parliamentary elections 2026, to make matters worse both the ruling and opposition groups suffer from internal factionalism and weak internal democracy due to top down authority.
4. Collapse of the rule of law; executive interference, human rights abuses and militarization & commercialization of politics are major hindrances to youth inclusion in leadership. The executive branch routinely ignores or overrides independent Parliamentary and Judicial decisions, undermining the separation of powers as security forces operate with high impunity, as documented by international bodies for carrying out arbitrary arrest, detention in unauthorised safe houses, torture, and extrajudicial killings. Civilian legal processes are frequently bypassed by deploying military justice frameworks against political critics and protestors, and the use of public resources to bribe voters.
5. Under social inclusion, the youth face escalating Health and substance abuse and exclusion from key decision-making, vulnerability to mental health struggles, limited youth-friendly health services and a rising rate of alcohol or substance abuse that threaten well-being; young people frequently report that leadership and policies talk about them rather than involving them in real, funded decisions. Consider the current employment trend in public service and political appointments.
To navigate these structural hurdles and to drive meaningful change for the rule of law, independent institutions and a clean Government, young people must organise strategically, use digital tools for accountability and move from being passive observers to active participants in the political processes through organising and participating in politics, leveraging technology and information, and fostering integrity and economic independence through;
Organizing and participating in politics; Register and run; engage directly in political party structures and run for local on national leadership positions rather than sitting on the sidelines, Build coalitions; form unified, cross regional youth fronts that focus on policy and governance issues rather than divisions based on tribe and background and Demand internal democracy; push political groups to practice fair, transparent leadership choices within their own ranks to model the multi - party democracy they want to see nationally.
Leveraging Technology and Information; expose graft digitally, use social media networks and mobile tools to tract public resource allocation, document abuse, and spotlight institutional failure, promote civic education; share simple, clear facts about the constitution, human rights, and legal processes so peers understand their civic duties and legal protection and support whistle blowers ; amplify verified reports of corruption safely using digital networks while protecting their identity of sources and;
Fostering integrity and economic independence; practice every day accountability; reject petty bribery and local corruption in daily transactions, schools, and community services, build economic resilience; pursue cooperative entrepreneurship and financial independence to reduce vulnerability to patronage or vote buying by political elites and engage institutions peacefully; use legal petitions, public dialogue, and structured civic advocacy to pressure oversight bodies into enforcing anti-corruption laws.
The young people must pivot away from traditional rote-learned white-collar ambition to actively target high-growth sectors emphasizing practical innovation.
Keep pushing boundaries, demanding inclusion and leading with purpose. The world does not just wait for your future leadership; it relies on your leadership today.
As we celebrate this day, I invite you to see yourselves as not only the future of Uganda, but also as the most precious and valuable human Asset of today. Your Ideas, Skills, voices and actions remain valid as we struggle to build a New Uganda Now. Happy Youth Day, 2026.
For God and my Country
The writer is a Member of National Unity Platform (NUP), former MP Mawogola County, former shadow minister for science, innovation and communications technology and former deputy chairperson Public Accounts Committee (PAC) central government
Leveraging Technology and Information; expose graft digitally, use social media networks and mobile tools to tract public resource allocation, document abuse, and spotlight institutional failure, promote civic education; share simple, clear facts about the constitution, human rights, and legal processes so peers understand their civic duties and legal protection and support whistle blowers ; amplify verified reports of corruption safely using digital networks while protecting their identity of sources and;
Fostering integrity and economic independence; practice every day accountability; reject petty bribery and local corruption in daily transactions, schools, and community services, build economic resilience; pursue cooperative entrepreneurship and financial independence to reduce vulnerability to patronage or vote buying by political elites and engage institutions peacefully; use legal petitions, public dialogue, and structured civic advocacy to pressure oversight bodies into enforcing anti-corruption laws.
The young people must pivot away from traditional rote-learned white-collar ambition to actively target high-growth sectors emphasizing practical innovation.
Keep pushing boundaries, demanding inclusion and leading with purpose. The world does not just wait for your future leadership; it relies on your leadership today.
As we celebrate this day, I invite you to see yourselves as not only the future of Uganda, but also as the most precious and valuable human Asset of today. Your Ideas, Skills, voices and actions remain valid as we struggle to build a New Uganda Now. Happy Youth Day, 2026.
For God and my Country
The writer is a Member of National Unity Platform (NUP), former MP Mawogola County, former shadow minister for science, innovation and communications technology and former deputy chairperson Public Accounts Committee (PAC) central government