Balaam Barugahara, the newly appointed Minister of State for Youth and Children, has stated that he is not in the Cabinet to recruit youths for the ‘MK Project’, but rather to address the problem of unemployment among young people in Uganda.
Speaking to journalists this morning after being vetted by the Parliament Appointments Committee led by Speaker Anita Among, Balaam said, “I am not in the Cabinet to recruit youths for the MK Project. Already, the MK Project has over 21 million young people. MK or Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), as you may call it, is not a political party. We are a civic organization aimed at promoting patriotism and spreading love for the country.”
Balaam further revealed his plans as Minister, stating that his focus will be on advocating for the skilling of youths. He added that he will submit proposals to the Cabinet on how best they can skill the youths based on regional needs.
“The young people, who make up 75% of the population, face 4-5 challenges. The majority of them are unskilled, uneducated, and unemployed. My role will be to advocate for skilling, but we don’t have to skill people for everyone to be involved in activities like brickmaking and making chapatis,” Balaam said.
He added, “Each sub-region has its core strengths. Karamoja has minerals, so the youths in Karamoja should be skilled in mining. Bunyoro has oil, so our youths in Bunyoro should focus more on oil and gas. The youths in Buganda are good coffee farmers.”
Meanwhile, five newly appointed ministers were vetted today, including Balaam, Lilian Aber, Phiona Nyamutooro, Gen Wilson Mbadi, and Namboozo Florence Wamala.