Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Voters in Kisenyi zones, a densely populated Kampala informal settlement, have tasked Kampala parliamentary candidates to explain their plans for eliminating unemployment levels before voting them in the 2021 general elections.
Kisenyi is one of Kampala’s biggest informal settlements (slums) that has a large population of unemployed youth. Residents told the candidates that the youth have increasingly been linked to inter-communal conflicts, violent extremism and criminality in these areas due to lack of jobs.
The residents of Mengo Kisenyi I, II and III zones challenged the two Forum for Democratic Change-FDC candidates; Dr Stella Nyanzi the candidate for Woman Member of Parliament for Kampala, and Harold Kaija the FDC Kampala Central Candidate for Member of Parliament during a door-door campaigns this last evening to explain their plans for job creation
Murumba Badiru Kalim, defense secretary in Kisenyi II questioned the two candidates whether they won’t be the same as the incumbent leaders of Kampala central Division whom whom they vote and will never come back to know the current challenges affecting them so that can be presented in parliament.
He accuses the incumbent leaders for Kampala central of lying to them as the youth in Kisenyi areas in all the terms they have voted him promising to lobby for the majority youth population that is unemployed.
Muganga Siraje a spare parts trader in Mengo Kisenyi II who asked the candidates to let them know their plans for tackling the challenge of youth unemployment, said that they need also to have access to government projects money but they have never seen any of this money, blaming it on bad leadership within the division.
He explained that much as candidates ask them for their votes, they don’t have people’s interests at heart rather want to go in parliament to serve their interests.
Ngonziwa John and Mariam Nyazi both street vendors said that they asked the aspirants to explain to them on how they would deal with KCCA enforcement teams that have been their tormentors over the years, adding that KCCA is the reason most of their colleagues are currently jobless.
But both Dr. Stella Nyanzi and Harold Kaija were noting down people’s issues and promised to represent the voters’ challenges without fear or favor on the floor of parliament once voted.
Kaija promised to fight for the good policies that can address the problem of high interest rates in financial institutions that can’t allow the low income earners to get loans to boost or start up businesses
Nyanzi is competing with eight other contestants including the National Unity Platform’s Shamim Malende, Democratic Party’s Sumayyah Muwonge and National Resistance Movement’s Faridah Nambi.
Kaija is competing against the incumbent Muhammad Nsereko, National Unity Platform’s Fred Nyanzi, and Cedric Babu of the National Resistance Movement-NRM and Lumu Mukasa an independent.
Today marks 14 days since the 2021 parliamentary and presidential campaigns started. Ugandans go to the polls on January 14th, 2021 to elect the president and members of parliament.
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