Don't accept being manipulated by selfish politicians- youth leaders 

While making his remarks at a regional youth dialogue on peaceful electoral participation at Luweero Hotel and apartments on April 3 2025, Gaddafi Nassur, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) National youth league chairperson, encouraged youth in politics to contest for any elective positions, especially as the country prepares for the forthcoming 2026 general elections. 
Mr Gaddafi’s call was premised on the grounds that during campaigns and elections, the youth are victims and architects of violence, in most cases through manipulation by senior politicians because they (youth) are not economically empowered.
“Someone with something to do to keep them busy can never go on the streets to riot. They (senior politicians) target the less privileged, who are the young people, because their survival mechanism is easy to deal with. You would be a fool to close your shop to riot because one selfish politician has mobilised and intoxicated you to handle a mission which benefits them and doesn’t benefit you,” Gaddafi said.
Mr Gaddafi who also sits on the NRM central executive committee, said much as talk of 2026 general elections is already heating up, it shouldn’t have come in the evening of the political term, but that it should have started approximately two years ago so that the message sinks in to the voters, where prospective youth contestants have time to talk to Ugandans.
“It is high time young people went to the dining table, and instead of waiting to be served, you are the ones serving. You cannot talk about being the majority by numbers in population, and you’re the minority in leadership. I implore many of you with chances to compete for elective positions irrespective of your political parties.  That’s the only way we can tackle the problems of the young people. If you are timid and fearful, you’ll remain as people who will always be thought of as second instead of being in the first category,” Gaddafi said.

According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, the youth form the biggest percentage of Uganda’s population at over 70 per cent. Gaddafi argues that, much as political parties with parliamentary representation receive money from the government each year, the issues of young people are still not heard even during budgeting processes. It should be noted that DP receives approximately Shs900m, FDC Shs3.127 billion, JEEMA gets Shs100m, NRM gets Shs34.1 billion, NUP gets approximately Shs5.71 billion, PPP gets Shs100m and UPC gets approximately Shs1 billion per year. This means that every representative of each party contributes Shs100m to their coffers. Of this money, it is not known how much goes to youth activities in the different parties.  
Edson Rugumayo, the Western Youth member of parliament, advises youth against being bought off or radicalised by experienced politicians aiming at taking advantage of you, especially those from different political parties which you don’t subscribe to.

“When you accept to be radicalised, you sometimes end up in prison and benefit nothing. Listen to what your political parties have to offer and stand firm on what you individually believe in, rather than radical propaganda and all negative talk. If you succumb to cheap offers and manipulation from different political parties, if it is youth unemployment in the country, what alternative policies are they putting on the table instead of riding on propaganda and tribal sentiments that are not necessary? In the end, it is you who loses out,” Rugumayo says.

Francis Adepo, the FDC national youth chairperson, agrees with Gaddafi, stating that young people are sometimes victims of manipulation because most of them don’t have a sources of livelihood. Because of naivety, Adepo says any opportunity available to the youth becomes an avenue to earn something, however little it may be.
“You can be manipulated physically with handouts, but your conscience of voting or contesting to address issues that benefit the youth cannot be manipulated. It is what you believe in that you have to exercise on the ballot paper because if you don’t, the effects of manipulation are long-term,” Adepo advises.  

Lynnet Nanyonjo, the national chairperson of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) says much as the party encourages the youth to take part in government programs such as the youth livelihood programs to increase their economic status, handouts such as Shs50,000 they receive from manipulative politicians to vote for them is the cost of five years of service delivery, legislation, advocacy and good infrastructure, among others.

“If the Shs50,000 is equal to five years, then take the money. But when you digest it deeply, it is very little compared to what you want. You’ll continue swimming in poor service delivery. Before you go for the quick money, look at the opportunities you can get that are beyond the quick cashback. When you look at the opportunities, you start realising who will be impactful and who isn’t. This informs you on who is for the young people and who is against them,” Nanyonjo says.

David Mugarra, the program manager at the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) that organises dialogues, says much as the youth are the biggest population in the country and in the electoral register, when it comes to drivers of conflicts, Mugarra says the youth have been at the forefront, be it in intra-party and inter-party politics.

“Even when young people belong to different camps, they can still come together for a common cause. Dialogues build the culture of tolerance for future generations that can shape the discussion and narrative, and give hope to the country that there can be peaceful elections and processes in the governance system. It is something that’s missing in Uganda’s politics. 

Elders have shown us that it’s not possible because there have been discussions and dialogues that have not been successful,” Mr Mugarra says.
Youth dialogues address underlying issues such as limited access to credible information, insufficient civic education and vulnerability to political manipulation by engaging young political leaders in constructive discussions and capacity-building activities.