West Nile NRM Youths In Tears Over Unfulfilled Presidential Pledges
Maida Akira while speaking before the committee of Parliament led by Hon. Joyce Bagala in Arua City recently
ARUA. A section of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) youths in the West Nile sub-region are crying foul over the unfulfilled pledges made by President Yoweri Museveni in 2021.
With barely one year to the next general election, the aggrieved NRM youths have now taken the matter before the Parliamentary Committee on Government Assurances and Implementation for assistance.
Speaking before the committee members recently led to Arua City by Hon. Joyce Bagala Ntwatwa, the Mityana District Woman Member of Parliament (MP), Maida Akira, the NRM youth mobilizers’ coordinator for West Nile sub-region, said the committee should help them to remind the President about the pledges he made for the youths of West Nile in 2021.
“His Excellency, around 3rd of March, 2021 at Kololo ceremonial grounds, pledged before the youth of West Nile sub-region to give them support funds of which, I would like to remind him through this committee. The President made a pledge of about 10 scholarships for vulnerable youths who were supposed to be supported by the State House. Madam chair, this pledge till date, stands unanswered,” Akira said.
She added that: “There was another pledge of cadre placement (appointment) and support for business which was equally submitted to the office of the President but still lies unanswered madam chair.”
Akira said she was tasked to traverse all the 13 districts of the West Nile sub-region to gather admission form details of the vulnerable youths who were interested to continue with education.
“But since then, nothing has been done. The youths have remained frail, looking at me as their regional coordinator being the problem. Madam chair, help me! I pray that my voice be conveyed to the Head of State that the rope has been tied and it is too tight on my neck, that he should really untie it because the members think that maybe somewhere, we have received these pledges or some of the funds and we are not delivering them,” Akira stressed.
Akira, formerly a National Unity Platform (NUP) party diehard, observed that another thing which has been bothering her a lot for a long period of time is that through the directive of the President, they were tasked to convince youths in the opposition to defect to the NRM party so that they can be appreciated or compensated but to date, none of them has received anything from the ruling government.
“Some were aspirants who were having ambitions to go to Parliament on the NUP ticket and we were asked to convince them with a promise that they were going to be compensated. Madam, up to date, they are still on our neck; they have not yet been appreciated. We have been patiently waiting for these pledges to be fulfilled but again, we may not continue to wait for them any longer since 2026 is nearing madam chair,” Akira stated.
In response, Bagala clarified that her committee is composed of MPs who are in the ruling NRM party and in the opposition.
“This is a committee of Parliament that has two sides. The issues you have raised are issues that are for the Executive; the President or the NRM Chairperson but not necessarily for this committee of Parliament. I hope that you can understand that we have members here who can deliver your message to the NRM chairperson. But I can only convince the young people to continue supporting the National Unity Platform party,” Bagala said.
However, John Bosco Asusi, the Moyo district NRM chairperson who doubles as the coordinator of the NRM chairpersons in West Nile, urged the NRM youths to bring their grievances to his desk so that he can forward the issues for further discussion.
The Parliamentary committee members were in Arua City to gather information regarding the delayed compensation of war claimants in the West Nile sub-region.