Uganda Youth have asked the government to let the young people to take the lead in making budget proposals for key activities that benefit them rather than think for them.
The Youth revealed that many of the issues that are proposed rarely benefit them.
These were some of ideas that were raised by Youth and other stakeholders while analysizing national budget for 2023/2024 organized by Uganda parliamentary Forum on youth affairs.
While speaking at the function, the member of Parliament for Bukoto Central Masaka city Hon. Richard Sebamala has urged youth leaders to be aggressive and push for what belongs to them.
He made these remarks yesterday the 30th June 2026 while attending a fire place conversation on Youth perspectives on the FY 23/24 national budget organized by civil society actors at Grand Global Hotel in Kikoni.Youth leaders at civil society organized fireside chat at Grand Global
Mr Sebamala encouraged youth leaders from the National Youth Council (NYC), Youth MPs, and civil society to petition parliament and engage all stakeholders on youth concerns.
“I have never seen you petition parliament or engage parliament committees during planning and budgeting.”he said .
“I want to see you putting parliament on pressure, we need to be inside that parliament and hear that outside parliament there is a group of youths demonstrating for more inclusion and youth focused programming,” he added.
He also advised youth to apply for PDM, Emyooga,Capital venture fund, and other government programmes for all ages.
Sebamala told young people to struggle for resources, learn about the government, and stop complaining.
The NYC budget was slashed from 4 billion shillings last FY to 800 m this FY 23/24. NYC Mondo supporters swarmed parliament this week to petition the speaker for greater financing. Francis Kyateka, the Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development’s assistant commissioner for youth, advised youth to get involved in budgeting from the start if they want their issues included in the budget and funded.
The MP for Mawogola south in Sembabule district, Hon. Goreth Namuga, criticized Parliament for taxing the weak and exempting the wealthy.
“Why tax social media but not gold?” asked Namuga.
Namuga noted that this year’s budget relies on PDM to boost Ugandans’ buying power and earnings, so if it fails, the government would fail to bring people into the money economy.
Jacob Ereyu ,the Chairperson of Uganda Youth Council requested the government to put skilling vocational facilities and skilling centers in every district to help skill the youths at all levels of the community till parish level and this is to help the country in its development.
Some of the dignitaries that attended included MPs Silus Aogon,Phiona Nyamutoro andJacob Ereyu.
The meeting was organized by West Minster foundation for democracy, Seatini, Akina Mama Wa Africa, she leads, Uganda cares among others.
