Where does violence leave youth and political leaders?

By John Akampa R. Tanbull

Having keen interest in development thus following the political activities in Uganda, fights and violence that is taking place from Ntungamo, Mbarara, Fort Portal, Kampala, Mbale and now to Bukwo and  Kotido with some youth being reported missing!

Iron bar hitmen and crime rates increasing, youth forming gangs and dangerous cliques and making some areas no go zone areas...! all these leave me wondering why I should wonder more!  

As a young person who envisions a better and more peaceful Uganda, I am totally hurt by the events of the day in my country, where politicians are taking advantage of the youth demography by using them to achieve some of their individualistic selfish interests and paying them as little as Shs 5,000/=( Five Thousand Shillings)  to engage in violence.

Where are these leaders taking Uganda? Are they the role models to emulate or they are creating a chaotic future generation after knowing that at the moment they are aging so faster yet they never stashed enough to sustain their lineage legacy?

And for the youth, are we aware that elections are here but not here to stay? Yet you have more years to live and achieve your dreams, goals and your hopes for a more transformed you and the Uganda that you would want to see…What is the excitement all about?

Getting money handouts today and you sell your entire future and that of your country or following and supporting leaders who will foster better streamlined policies and service delivery…creating an enabling environment for you and your family  to thrive

Many times I have liked to quote from Amartya Sen's Development as a Freedom - he states that what people can positively achieve is influenced by economic opportunities, political liberties, social powers and the enabling conditions of good health, basic education and the encouragement and cultivation of initiatives…yes it can be understood that  in line with the presence of massive unemployment entails the deprivations that are not well reflected in income distribution statistics.

Unemployment contributes to the social exclusion of some groups, and it leads to losses of self-reliance, self-confidence and psychological and physical health( could this be one of the reasons why in  Uganda's case Youth who constitute majority of the population are being used and energies, potential is being wasted in things that make news rather than inspiring sense to achieve collective development and be part of the solutions to address challenges that affect the generation…)

People have to know especially the YOUTH that with political and civil liberty freedoms- enhance more on the ability of people to help themselves and also to influence the World , and these matters are central to the process of  development. But all these components of development cannot be accomplished when there is no peace, when violence takes center stage in the day to day business, when majority of the population is not engaged in productive activities.

Now days reports are indicating that crime rates are increasing, people are murdered in cold blood day by day, iron bar hit men and youth gangs are taking over the show… and people seem to no longer hold so much value in humanity and the principles of rule of law have been rendered not serious, terrorism acts are becoming normal, gender violence, land grabbing has been talked and preached against during the recent Christmas season…where have we gone wrong?
 
As  development comes, it comes with it's own advantages and disadvantages same applies to population increase more especially where we see majority of the population being challenged with questions of survival?
All youth and the entire country seems not to be looking at development and what happens after elections, as if to suggest that in election period development stops…But the question is are Ugandan youth ready to take on the mantle of leading Uganda? Why hurry as if Uganda will be taken away!

Staying positive when your world is crumbling around you is no easy task. Yet, in the end, you will see that every negative thing that happened must have happened in order for you to be able to turn your life around. A lot of what makes up your life is out of your control. Sometimes life will seem good and fair to you. Other times it will seem unfair, seemingly harboring cruel intentions.

People may try to bring you down, but not life itself. Many find themselves lamenting over their own misfortunes, asking the heavens why they were so unlucky, asking what they did to deserve what they believe to be a punishment.

(Especially today's Youth who prefer lamenting than getting started with work), But no one is punishing you.

Sometimes bad things happen to good people. It sucks, but it's the reality of things. You can't beat yourself up for it.

You have to do your best to hold yourself together and continue pushing forward. In your lifetime, you will experience loss. You will experience sorrow, heartbreak, pain and suffering. How much of each is for chance to decide, but you are likely to experience a little bit of each to some degree or another.

You may be special, but not in this regard. Everybody suffers. Everybody loses. Many will give up. Many will accept defeat. But some will find the strength to keep pushing, keep trying, keep dreaming.

When things fall apart for you, which they likely will at least once in your life, you will have a choice you'll need to make. You can either wallow in your misfortunes or you can decide that such a fate is unacceptable.

You have the power to refuse defeat. You have the strength to withstand any and every blow.

But you have to choose to stay standing. You have to take a hard look at your situation and decide then and there that you are going to make changes, that you are going to turn things around for yourself because you deserve better.

Life may not have been willing to give you happiness, success and glory, but you're going to take it. It's this decision that decides the rest of your life.

It's hard - I know. Sometimes we work for months, years even, only to reach a point when we literally lose everything. We may have made a stupid mistake or we may have simply been unlucky - the reason behind everything falling apart doesn't matter as much as the way you respond to it.

It may be impossible for you to see now, but everything falling apart for you may be exactly what you need. It's when we have nothing to lose that we give life our all. We give life everything we've got because we no longer feel that we've got much.

Yet, the truth is that we have everything we need. You have you, and that is enough. As long as you have a healthy body and mind, you can accomplish amazing things.

And now that you are carrying much less baggage and your focus is entirely shifted to one goal and one goal only - crawling out of the hole you found yourself in - success is much more likely.

I know it sounds counterintuitive, but everything falling apart for you may bring you inches away from where you want to be. Youth, Don't give up.

Always take just one more step as we go into elections, please as youth let us not be used as elements or perpetrators of violence. Uganda still needs you and me.

The writer is a youth advocate and consultant on Youth Engagement

Youth Advocacy Foundation Uganda -YAFU