Youth leaders in Namutumba have accused district chairperson David Mukisa and his executive of allegedly diverting funds under the government’s Youth Livelihood Programme (YLP), claiming the money has instead been channeled to his ‘family, in-laws, and wives.’
The accusations were raised during the youth’s first district convention held at Kaiti Primary School under the theme Mobilizing, Organizing, and Building a Formidable Youth Populace for Social-Economic Transformation.
‘This isn’t fair, we’re the target group, and we’re also the majority in this country, and this money is meant for us, but it’s benefiting a different category of people,’ said Edirisa Mukama, Chairperson of Kiyanyi Sub-county, who appealed to the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development to closely monitor how YLP funds are distributed in Namutumba.
YLP, introduced in the 2013/2014 financial year, was designed to address youth unemployment through skills development and income-generating projects. But the youth argue that corruption has blocked their access to opportunities meant for them.
Namutumba Woman MP Mariam Naigaga backed their claims, saying the District Chairperson had allegedly turned the scheme into a family affair.
‘We’ve got a problem here in the district; one person takes all the money meant for the youth and shares it with family, in-laws, and friends, leaving out the targeted people suffering,’ she said, adding: ‘I’m appealing to the Ministry to take this seriously. We’re not happy. We want to see youth benefiting from their programme, not the same people every time.’
But Mukisa dismissed the allegations as politically motivated, saying the district’s high unemployment levels were fueling tension around the limited funds.
‘What has been said about me are lies. I have never benefited from YLP funds nor given money to my family members and in-laws,’ he said. ‘Whoever has evidence should produce it; that’s politics of hatred and blackmail. But as for me, I’m clean,’ he responded.
Mukisa noted that Namutumba’s economy remains largely subsistence, with 49.8 percent of the 71,572 residents unemployed and 18.1 percent of youth jobless, calling on the central government to increase YLP funding.
District Community Development Officer Hadadi Babalanda said that while many youth groups had received support, some had failed to repay their loans, locking others out of the programme.
‘All files showing how funds were disbursed to youth groups are in my office. We urge youth to repay so others can benefit,’ she said.
Permanent Secretary Aggrey Kibenge said the Ministry continues to support youth through YLP and the Parish Development Model (PDM), which allocates 30 percent of funds to youth at parish level. He added that Women Entrepreneurship funds also support groups that include young people.
‘The challenge is organizing youth to access these resources and ensuring none are left behind,’ Kibenge said. He warned that poor investment choices were undermining the impact of the programmes.
‘We can only develop if we invest in productive ventures that yield good returns. Otherwise, youth will keep getting money and remain poor if not guided on enterprise selection,’ he said.