Minister Kyambadde’s anti youth rants stir mixed reactions
What you need to know:
Mrs Kyambadde began her career as an administrator (a personal secretary) in 1979, in the Ministry of Defence, later Personal secretary chairman of the Military Commission in 1980, Senior Personal Secretary to the President (1986-1990) and rose to Principal Private Secretary to the president between 2005-2010 before bowing out to join elective politics
Trade, industry and cooperatives minister Amelia Kyambadde has attracted ire from sections of her followers on social media after she took to twitter to share her frustration working with Uganda’s youth. Without giving detail, Mrs Kyambadde on Sunday could not hold back her disillusionment with young people and tweeted on her verified twitter account, “Had worst experience with employing youth: selfish, inefficient, and unreliable. Please style up.”
The Mawokota county North MP’s bitterness as expressed on her social media platform speaks to what is, at least on the basis of raw anecdotal evidence, a general outcry over the ever declining ethical standards of the country’s largely unemployed and unemployable youthful bulge with employers taking issue with youth’s attitude to work and integrity.
Her remarks did not, however, go lightly with some of her followers who took her head on with Henry Othieno replying, “I guess those youth had Godfathers, probably got employed not through merit! Unfortunately that is the Uganda today.” Brian Ssembatya wrote, “Realistically did you have only good attributes in your days as a youth employee,” while other comments sought to inquire if the legislator and cabinet member who has had a career marked by rubbing shoulders with the powerful since 1979 had played her role in building the Uganda she wants to see.
The account’s profile carries a disclaimer, “a staffer manages this account, tweets by Hon. Amelia signed off with –AK.” This particular tweet did not carry the –AK signature but to her followers, the distinguishing line between her staffer’s remarks and those of the minister can only be thin. The staffer’s otherwise controversial statement could also beg the question of the caliber of people employed by public officials to manage their public relations and whether they sieve, let alone think through their content.
The minister appeared to follow the footsteps of President Museveni who in 2011 publically revealed Uganda is infested with thieves telling Rwandans and other guests who had also come to participate in the Umuganda exercise at Nyarugunga Primary School, “I have been fighting with these thieves because they had spoilt this issue of Umuganda. You know Uganda has so many thieves. I don’t know whether Rwanda has so many thieves like Uganda.”
Mrs Kyambadde began her career as an administrator in 1979, a personal secretary in the Ministry of Defence, later Personal secretary chairman of the Military Commission in 1980, Senior Personal Secretary to the President (1986-1990) and rose to Principal Private Secretary to the president between 2005-2010 before bowing out to join elective politics.
