We need to teach our youth better

We reported in yesterday’s edition that a minister fled a school premises in Kayunga Town, Kayunga District after youth demanded a transport refund after attending a workshop.
It is not surprising that this happened. Anyone keen on the developing culture of primitive accumulation of resources would understand where the youth were coming from. But there are several teething issues in the dramatic incident that we need to pay attention to.

First, Mr Muruli Mukasa, the minister for Public Service, was not the convener of the meeting at Light College SS but because many politicians have taught Ugandans about handouts, they are always expected to pay for any ‘service’. This culture is deep-rooted in our society and needs a lot of work to weed out.
Second, the youth alleged that officials, who invited them to the event organized by Uganda Retirement Benefits Regulatory Authority (URBRA), had promised facilitation in the form of transport refund. If this is true, then the problem originated here and those who promised such should have kept their word and met their end of the bargain.
But this ‘promise’ also rings a bell on the motivation of our youth and those who issued it. Would the youth have attended the training if the transport refund had not been promised? We may not come to the bottom of that. But we have a huge problem that needs quick solutions.

That the training was aimed at training the youth on how to choose and initiate profitable enterprises is encouraging, and should have attracted numbers without the pay element given the country’s unemployment levels.However, stories of corruption, abuse of office, and nepotism, among others by high-ranking government officials are part of the thickening plot of moral decadence.
That little or nothing at all happens to many officials caught in misuse of public resources has taught the rest of Ugandans a stinking culture of benefiting from any opportunity that comes before them.
There are stories of government officials signing for allowances for work not done, or demanding for per diem for travels not taken. How do you expect struggling Ugandans to expect ‘nothing’ at the end of a training attended by a minister?

There is a systemic issue that must be addressed here. Those in leadership positions or with platforms to inspire should lead by example so that youngsters grow up with better values.
The youth should be shown and taught that not everything should end with monetary rewards. Likewise, organisers of events such as the one in Kayunga should be open and address issues as and when they emerge. They youth should have been briefed on availability or unavailability of money.