Over 1,000 Kawempe youth leaders to benefit from sh2b govt funding

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A total of 1,080 youth leaders from Kampala city's Kawempe Division are set to benefit from a government funding initiative totalling over shillings two billion, New Vision Online has heard.

The revelation was made by senior presidential advisor Moses Byaruhanga on November 27, 2025, during an engagement with youth leaders at Basmati Arena in Kawempe, where he outlined multiple streams of financial empowerment designed to galvanise support for the National Resistance Movement (NRM).

Byaruhanga detailed that the Government, through President Yoweri Museveni, is establishing three distinct youth savings and credit co-operative organisations (SACCOs) specifically for the area's leadership.

These, he said, will cater to the newly-elected youth council leaders, the outgoing youth council leaders, and the NRM Youth League leaders.

Each of Kawempe's 120 villages is represented by these three leadership categories, bringing the direct beneficiaries to 360. Furthermore, Byaruhanga confirmed that "ghetto youth" saccos, which have already received funding, will continue to operate.

"On top of that, there's already the SACCOs for the ghetto youth. Those are already there," he stated, adding that the President had previously allocated an extra one billion Shillings per division for such groups.

PDM funds

Byaruhanga also reiterated Museveni's pledge of increasing the Parish Development Model (PDM) funds for Kampala and Wakiso. Each parish will now receive shillings 300 million, with 30% (100 million) ring-fenced for youth enterprises.

He added that the National Unity Platform (NUP) stance on abolishing PDM is alienating potential youth beneficiaries.

"These youths want to benefit from the shillings 100 million per parish every year. But somebody is saying they will abolish it," Byaruhanga said. 

"So, I'm happy that NUP wants to abolish PDM. By doing so, they are working for us to mobilise these youths to come and support NRM."

Undisputable position

Beyond youth funding, the Presidential Advisor contrasted the organisational strength of the NRM with the Opposition, noting that NRM has candidates for all 499 parliamentary seats and all district chairperson positions nationwide.

He argued that this demonstrates NRM's undisputable position, turning the election into a quest for a "70% and above" victory margin rather than a contest for a win.

Farouk Buliime, the NRM flag-bearer for the Kawempe Division mayoral race, was also among the speakers at the event attended by over 800 Kawempe-based youth and others from the surrounding environs.

Buliime advocated for the Kawempe youth and sought government support for the residents within his constituency.

While Sheila Lubowa, one of the prominent youth leaders in the area, said that out of the 1,080 youth political slots available, NRM managed to seize 1,060 slots.

“We have also revived he ones who had crossed over to other political parties and returned the prodigal voters to NRM successfully,” she bragged.

Faridah Nambi, the NRM contestant vying for Kawempe North parliamentary seat, commended Buliime and Isaac Sebuwufu (a youth leader) and the ghetto commanders led by Timothy Kiryowa.

“As the next Member of Parliament (MP) for Kawempe North, I thank President Yoweri Museveni for the support,” Nambi declared.

She also proclaimed that: “We residents of Kawempe are set to make history similar to how Moses parted the Red Sea in the Bible.”

Nambi hailed NRM’s ‘house-to-house’ voter recruitment method, saying it has proven to be very effective and is guaranteed to reach out to all the ghetto (slum-dwelling) youth and residents.

The event was also attended by dignitaries from security and various State House officials.

Several other speakers, including Alex Sebuwufu from the Kawempe Youth coalition and Jennipher Nasimbwa, an assistant Resident City Commissioner (RCC), commended President Museveni for the financial support and confirmed that Kawempe youth indeed received shillings 50 million, but said it was not sufficient to empower the 1,080 youth leaders under their docket.

“I humbly request that you make a separate sacco for the youth leaders,” she requested the State House representatives.

The event served as a dual-purpose gathering, blending the launch of substantial financial empowerment programmes with a strong political mobilisation message ahead of the elections.