Police has tightened security around Bukomansimbi district headquarters following protests by youth demanding for the release of the Youth Capital Venture Fund. This morning, a group of about 200 youths marched to the district headquarters from various sub counties to protest the failure by the district to release the money. Led by their chairperson Livingston Kayondo, the youth accused the CAO Solomon Sonko and Muhammad Katerega, the LC 5 chairman of refusing to release their funds with intentions of embezzling it.
Kayondo claims that government has been sending money to the district through the National Youth Council since 2010 to facilitate youth projects but they have not received any. He says that they demand shillings 100 million as conditional grants and an additional 300 million shillings given to them by former Vice President Specioza Wandira to facilitate youth development activities. Kayondo says that they have evidence showing how money has been coming to the district from the Finance Ministry but they have not had any explanation as to why they don’t get it.
Kayondo says with the two financial years ending without any money forthcoming, they have decided to mobilize and camp at the district headquarters to compel the district authorities to release their funds to uplift the youths. But Muhammad Kateregga, the Bukomansimbi LC5 Chairman and Solomon Sonko, the CAO have denied receiving any youth funds from central government. They allege that in the last financial year they only received shillings 1.9 million to facilitate youths activities.
He however says that the money was not released to the youths because of their failure to submit a work plan to the district as required before the money is released. Katerega says that the district is now going to return that money to the central government as unutilized funds. They accuse Iddi Kisiki Lubyaayi, the former Bukomansimbi Member of Parliament of confusing the youths. Lubyaayi denies the accusations but insists that the former Vice President Dr. Specioza Wandera gave the district 300million shilling as youth development funds.
He tasks the district leaders to account for that money. Police has maintained heavy security at the district headquarters to deal with any cases of violence. Frank Nantamba, the Bukomansimbi DPC has declined to speak about heavy deployment.
