WHY WAS YOUTH AGE STRETCHED TO 35 YEARS IN THE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT FUND?

I have had opportunity to look at an application form for Youth Employment Funds. What surprised me is why the age of the youth which we have normally known in Uganda to be 18 to 30 years, in this case has been stretched to 35. Could it be an accident? There is a transparency problem here. The beneficiaries should be 18 to 30 years and no more otherwise, age 31 to 35 are not youth by Uganda standards. William Kituuka Kiwanuka. MPs CALL FOR INVESTIGATIONS OF 44 BILLION SHS YOUTH EMPLOYMENT FUND by Charles Odongtho Members of Parliament have asked government to halt the disbursement of money under the Job Stimulus Programme until a proper investigation is carried out to prove its viable usage. In 2010, government initiated the Job Stimulus program with the aim of creating employment for the youths.Story Members of Parliament have today asked government to halt the disbursement of money under the Job Stimulus Programme until a proper investigation is carried out to prove its viable usage. In 2010, government initiated the Job Stimulus program with the aim of creating employment for the youths. Government disbursed shillings 3.5 billion to Uganda Youth Convention and Enterprise Uganda to start training youths. It also earmarked shillings 44 billion in 2011/2012 financial year budget for implementing the job stimulus program. However MPs on the Trade and Industry committee of parliament want government to halt the disbursement of the funds. Many of them complain that the process of how the 44 billion shillings would be used to benefit the youths in the country is not transparent. The legislators claim that the two companies; Uganda Youth Convention and Enterprise Uganda that are handling the money are not transparent. John Ssimbwa, the MP for Makindye East, says despite government paying for the entrepreneurship programmes for the youths participants are being forced to pay another 50,000 shillings for attendance and registration. He says is necessary that government moves faster to intervene before more youths are conned of their money. The MPs are also demanding that part of the shillings 44 billion be put in other banks that are more accessible to rural youths and not only with the DFCU. They argue that DFCU is an urban bank that cannot be accessed by the rural youth. Patrick Nakabaale, Central Youth MP, says that each time they complain of how their issues are not being treated urgently they are referred to the finance ministry which is not their sector ministry. Nakabaale demanded that Amelia Kyambadde, the minister of Trade and Industry responds directly to the unemployment question affecting the youth. Faced with so many of the complaints, Amelia said she was going to ask her counterpart, finance minister Maria Kiwanuka, to halt all pending disbursements under the employment stimulus, until a comprehensive study is done. She said she would organize a meeting between the MPs, ministry of finance and that of trade and industry to sort out some of the problem. Amelia who appeared before the trade and industries committee to defend her budget told the committee that it was appropriate for Enterprise Uganda and Uganda Youth Convention to demand for more fees from the poor youths. The Youth Convention is owned by a number of young NRM cadres led by Odrek Rwabwogo, a son-in-law to president Museveni. Rwabwogo has not yet commented on the matter as two known mobile phones were switched off when we called him. But Pamela Ankunda, a member of the convention, said they also support the channeling of the budgeted money to different banks and not only DFCU. She said the convention was not involved in charging the youths any money, referring the matter to enterprise Uganda. Ankunda denied that the youth convention was running on the 44 billion shillings from government. She said they started the convention mid last year, even before the budget line for the employment stimulus had been known to them. The MPs will meet Amelia again next week to get a report of her meeting with Maria Kiwanuka. Read more: http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=35668#ixzz1ueRwKsmH