KAMPALA
Chaos erupted at Speke Resort Munyonyo during the closing ceremony of the Afro-Arab Youth Conference after hundreds of participants accused a youth and children’s affairs minister, Balaam Barugahara of swindling part of their facilitation funds.
The three-day conference, which attracted youth delegates from across Africa and the Arab world, was officially closed by President Yoweri Museveni on Friday November 10, who announced a cash facilitation of Shs1 million per youth to support their participation and welfare.
However, tensions flared shortly after the event when participants discovered that they had each received only Shs260,000. The youths, many of them university students accused Minister Hon. Barugahara, of diverting half of the money meant for them.
Eyewitnesses reported that several delegates confronted ministry officials demanding explanations. Some youth leaders threatened to petition the President over what they described as “daylight theft.”
“The President was clear in his orders and gave each of us Shs1 million, but we received only Shs260,000. Where did the rest go?” one furious delegate told journalists at the scene.
This is not the first time allegations of missing funds are raised against minister Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi. At a recent leadership training for guild leaders of institutions in Uganda, the President gave each participant Shs1 million, but to the youth dismay, everyone was given half of the money (Shs500,000) without genuine explanations. Efforts to get a comment from Minister Barugahara were futile as he was busy attending to youth rowdy leaders by press time. However, he insisted that all delegates would get equal payment.
The Afro-Arab Youth Conference is aimed at strengthening cooperation, entrepreneurship, and innovation among young people from Africa and Arab nations. This year’s edition focused on youth empowerment and economic transformation.
Speaking at the closure of the conference, President Museveni challenged the Afro-Arab youth to prioritize ideology of interests than identity which he claims undermines peace and development.
“So, therefore, you young people, you need to know that you belong to the future of the world. The most important group for the future of the world is here, in the Afro Arab world,” Museveni challenged the youth not to have ideology of disorientation, and urged ideologies of Patriotism and Pan-Africanism.
Singling out Sudan and Republic of Somalia, Museveni who is also the Patron of the Afro-Arab Youth Congress emphasized how politics of identity has failed national development among Afro-Arab countries.
“Politics of identity,religion, tribe and others is not a good idea because as we always all aware that is how once a great and lucky country Sudan was destroyed. Here in Uganda we had politics of tribe and religion until we came in and say no and agreed to prioritize politics of interest,” Museveni emphasized.
