Okot Boniface is the Northern Uganda Youth MP elect. Photo by Luo Tunes. 1

Northern Youth MP tells youth to avoid alcohol, launches football tournament

(Last Updated On: 3 November 2021)

Northern Youth MP tells youth to avoid alcohol, launches football tournament

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Kole – 3, November 2021: Just like other rural districts in Northern Uganda now grappling with numerous challenges as a result of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, Kole district youth in Lango subregion are not exceptional.

Lockdown have affected these youth in different ways and they said their businesses collapsed.

“There is no money among our community members and several businesses have collapsed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic to the extent that some parents are pushing their young girls into early marriages so that they can get some money to make both ends meet,” this is the observation of the Northern Youth MP, Boniface Henry Okot.

Okot now intends to use sports as one of the strategies to tackle some of these challenges.

On Saturday, Okot who hails from Kole district launched a football tournament for the district that will be played annually. All the sub counties and town councils in the district are to participate.

The launch was attended by all sub counties youth chairpersons, town councils and members of the organizing committee for the recent Uhuru Cup, also funded by MP Okot.

The Youth MP hopes that by engaging both young men and women in sporting activities, it could go a long way to keep them engaged, and also restrain them from vices such as alcoholism, smoking marijuana.

He believes that sports can also help curb down the escalating cases of teenage pregnancies in the district.

As a leader, Okot said he had observed that the community in Kole district is facing numerous challenges and he thinks the new initiative could provide a solution to these problems being faced by the people.

“With Covid-19 pandemic many girls are grappling with numerous challenges especially teenage pregnancies and by engaging them in this kind of football tournament, we believe it can help us reduce on these cases,” MP Okot told a cheering youth leaders in Kole town council on Saturday.

Chris Apunyu, the chairperson Youth council for Kole told the gathering that during the lockdown most of the youth had become irresponsible, some smoking marijuana and engaged in alcoholism in nearby trading centers.

“…motorcycle theft has become rampant while teenage pregnancies is nearing 2,000 cases,” he added.

Okot continued by decrying the alarming cases of teenage pregnancies, continuously warning young people against alcoholism.

“It is dangerous to your health and could also cause infertility,” he told them.

MP Okot said Kole district annual football tournament is a pilot scheme which would be rolled to the entire 41 districts in the greater Northern Uganda if it becomes successful.

The first games of the tournament will be played on 6, November 2021 while the finals will be played on 25, December 2021 at Abilonino Polytechnic play grounds.

Winners and runner-ups both in the female and male teams will receive cash prices.

Among the sub counties that will participate include Aboke, Ayer, Okwerodot, Bala, Akalo and Alito sub counties. Ayer Town council, Akalo Town council, Bala Town council and Alito town council will also actively participated.

Best performing teams that participated in the Independence tournament received shs6.8m from the youth leader.

Some of the youth leaders who turned up for the Saturday meeting confessed that when young people are engaged in sporting activities, they get occupied and stay away from alcohol and sexual immorality.

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