Masaka-The newly appointed State Minister for youths and children affairs Evelyn Anite, has said she is personally tracking the success of the youth livelihood program.
The Youth Livelihood programme was launched in 2013 to address the problem of youth unemployment in Uganda.
Following the failure of the previously schemes to empower youth, President Yoweri Museveni in 2013 president launched livelihood program and Shs256 billion was budgeted for the programme for the next five years.
Anite on Monday May 19, 2015 began a fact-finding mission in the districts of greater Masaka to establish the progress of youth’s projects and gave authorities orders to rigorously watch its implementation. While at Masaka district offices meeting project beneficiaries, Anite gave orders to arrest and prosecute those abusing the funds. There are reports that most of the youth groups that received the funds have misused it or have diverted from the intended purpose.
Anite said the program was intended to benefit the poor and unemployed youth but reports show that some had already started hiring people to attend to the projects in form of seminars so as to get paid in allowances.
“We cannot accept such tendencies because the program work plan requires the beneficiaries to fully and physically dedicate their efforts and time to the projects of their choice,” Anite said. She continued “We are yet to crack down all those youth leaders who sold off the cows given by President Museveni because such characters abuse the cardinal intention of improving the lives of the youth”
