“It is quite common to hear Ugandans complain, quite reasonably, about the poor delivery of public services and goods. They do not like what they see in their hospitals (rotten facilities and not enough drugs), in their schools (crowded classrooms with inadequate scholastic materials), and on their roads (potholes and accidents), to cite a few examples. They blame it on public corruption and a lack of political will to fight it hard. If you listen carefully, it is mostly the most economically productive people (aged 25-45) who complain loudest.
But who should improve things? That is a question posed at the 7th meeting of the State of the Nation Platform, most of whose members fall in the dissatisfied age group. Appropriately, the discussion was led by a panel drawn from amongst the STON members to compel self-reflection. After all, those who are younger and economically active largely drive transformation of society. While some of the challenges facing Uganda today and possibly in the medium term could be easily identified, there was a bit of uncertainty about how to properly and effectively address them. The uncertainty was displayed through a series of questions that ranged from the rhetorical and the philosophical to the anguished.”
