Moroto hosts Karamoja Regional Youth Parliament

Moroto, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The youth in the Karamoja sub-region have hosted the first regional youth parliament, a pre-event to commemorate International Youth Day next month.

The youth parliament was held on Tuesday at the Moroto district council hall under the theme ‘’Bringing the Youth Voices to the Decision Making Table.

The parliament, composed of 50 youth delegates from across the Karamoja sub-region, included the district leadership, youth chairpersons, Resident District Commissioners, Gender leaders and the young people from the community.

During the parliament session, the youth deliberated on the critical issues that included peace and security, advocacy, climate change, political barriers, corruption, gender based violence and economic empowerment.

Emmy Acheboi, the Kotido district youth councillor, raised a concern about the monetisation of politics that has often blocked many youth from taking up leadership positions.

Acheboi noted that young people who do not have investments cannot compete with the elderly who have invested in any leadership position due to a lack of financial support.

He said that he had an interest in contesting for the national vice chairperson for the NRM in the Karamoja sub-region, but his dream hit a block because he could not afford to pay the nomination fee of 5 million shillings.

Acheboi also expressed his frustration with the district service commissions that have been compromised by the big shots holding political and technical offices in the district. He said that the young people don’t get jobs on merit, but instead, jobs are given to people of their interest.

Emma Bala, a youth advocate, said that the girls are often not seen in decision-making spaces but instead considered as more domestic, and they are given space to raise their voices because of the traditional strings attached.

Bala noted that this is holding back several girls because they do not have an opportunity to speak up about their issues affecting them as girls. She added that the region is also faced by climate change, which has hurt women.

Judith Lokwakol, a girl champion in Napak district, shared the same hardships that women in the region go through, noting that food insecurity and water scarcity remain the biggest burdens

Lokwakol said that they face challenges of domestic violence, rape and forced early marriages which continue violating their rights and suppressing their voices in the community.

Lokwakol said that the limited involvement in the decision making and policy design have affected the women because their needs may not be considered. She noted that the girls have also gone through challenges of sexual harassment at work places and the environment where they live in.

Lokwakol urged the government to consider involving the youth in decision making and empowering girls through capacity building and skilling.

She noted that there is a need to sensitize the youth and provide them a platform to speak out on the issues affecting them including corruption matters.

Gady Epitu, the Moroto district youth chairperson, explained that the youth have often faced barriers in the decision-making spaces.

Epitu noted that aspects such as cultural norms, gender inequality and the resource bucket and among others, have derailed the youth and affected their performances.

Epitu said that the region has long suffered from the negative effects of cattle rustling, which is being driven by the youth in the region due to high poverty rates.

Epitu also noted that the local government council is dominated by the elders because of the monetization of politics that has deterred youth from contesting.

He said that the elections have become too expensive, and the youth cannot afford them since they lack the resources to enable them to run for some of the positions.

Timothy Oboth, the programs manager at Restless Development Uganda, said that the key discussion areas were focused on the youth participation in climate solution and action, youth inclusion in governance processes, youth inclusion in digital transformation and promotion of peace and security.

Oboth noted that the event helped to highlight the central role of the youth agency and advocacy in governance processes and amplifying the voices of the young people in strategic and social conversation with the district leaders.

Oboth explained that the young people are not merely beneficiaries of the development but active agents of change, innovation, and leadership.

He noted that the event provides a strategic platform for enhancing partnership between young people and district leadership with some resolutions feeding directly into the National Youth Parliament’s order paper.

Oboth cited various issues such as climate change with the prolonged drought that has affected the livelihood of the young people and these are some of the issues they want their leaders to find a solution.

Oboth challenged the youth to put their heads together and draw some of the solutions that would help to address the issues in the region.

The event was facilitated by the Restless Development Uganda in collaboration with the Karamoja Youth Efforts to Save Environment (KAYESE) and Media Challenge Initiative with support from the Embassies of Denmark, Ireland, Kingdom of Netherlands and Sweden.

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