Youth leaders from various political parties in Uganda have accused their National Youth Council (NYC) chairperson, Jacob Eyeru, of partisan politics.
The accusation against Eyeru followed his May 31 letter to the IGP informing him of planned citywide mobilisation tours for the Yellow Youth Movement (YYM) initiative.
YYM is affiliated with the ruling party, NRM, and is completely loyal to President Museveni Yoweri Kaguta, 80.
In his letter to the IGP, Eyeru used NYC’s official letterhead, which has enraged DP, FDC, and JEEMA youth leaders.
By law, NYC brings together young people from various political parties, and its operations and activities are funded by taxpayers.
Eyeru was advised during an Xspace discussion on Saturday night, with the most important reminder to apologise within five working days from Wednesday.
The NYC chairperson has until Tuesday, June 11 to extend his apologies or not.
Francis Adepo, FDC youth league chairperson said NYC is not a branch of NRM. “This (NYC) is an institution, even our leader, even if he’s elected on the NRM ticket, he has to be autonomous.”
“Unfortunately, Mr Eyeru is doing a Museveni activity for 2026. Eyeru is destroying our generation. Can we put him to order?”
Adepo said the gentleman Eyeru is pushing for 2026 is “old, he’s old.” “First of all, we don’t know where he’s getting this money from. We know him as a poor person.”
“Two, Eyeru should not lure the youth into Mr. Museveni’s things of 2026. We are saying before this five days elapse, speak to the youth, we want to move together.”
Adepo challenged Eyeru to be accountable to all youth, not just those on his YYM agenda. “We demand him to withdraw his conduct of promoting Museveni’s agenda using NYC.”
Muzeyi Faizo, UPC’s head of media and communication, said it would be fine for Eyeru to promote NRM without using the NYC letterhead.
“What we want is harmony to separate NYC from YYM,” he said.
The UPC’s youthful leader also stated that “we are in a multiparty politics and anyone can choose what they want” – “but here we want to separate the Office of the Chairperson of NYC from partisan politics.”
Hellen Ashaba is the vice-president of Uganda Young Democrats. In her submissions, she stated that one of her responsibilities as a sober Ugandan and youth league leader is to hold entities accountable.
“And I think what they (Adepo and Haroona) are doing right now is to hold NYC and Jacob Eyeru accountable of which I see no crime in it.
“I have worked with Jacob before even through debates and I know he’s a really smart and sober young person. I know that he will not take this as an offence but as a call to order.”
Ashaba stated that she wanted to be fair and just to both sides, viewing Eyeru as a young man looking for a plan B after NYC. “Because what next after this that I am into!”
“That we must appreciate that he’s actually trying to think that after NYC where do I head and these are the brains we can’t accept to lose.”
Mugabe Robert Tukulema, a youth, is concerned that there is no unity among the young people.
“We contribute the biggest percentage in this country but still when it comes to sharing the bread and resources we take the smallest share. Why? We are not united.”
Eyeru, who had been listening for a few minutes, soon left without responding. tndNews is making an attempt to hear from him.
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