President Yoweri Museveni says Uganda’s best weapon against youth unemployment is hands-on training, not paperwork. While opening the Tooro Zonal Presidential Industrial Hub in Kijwiga Village, Kyenjojo District, he praised trainees already turning out shoes, beds, and other products that used to be imported.
Museveni promised to double the hub’s enrolment to 500 students and add courses in motor mechanics, weaving, knitting, plumbing, and a four-acre demonstration farm—once new hostels are built. He also pledged start-up capital for graduates through district SACCOs and handed each student group Shs 10 million on the spot.
The President warned public schools against charging illegal fees under Uganda’s free-education policy and revived his plan for a vocational school in every sub-county. Creating more districts, he said, only drives up costs; investing in skills lifts incomes.
First Lady Janet Museveni called the hub “the engine of national transformation.” Ministers Tom Butime and Chris Baryomunsi hailed it for giving hope to dropouts who could not afford tuition.
Graduates shared proof: hairdresser Sandra Kabarokore used her new skills to open a salon and buy land, while tailor Denis Murungi built a business after losing his parents. Their success, Museveni said, shows that practical skills can turn idle youth into job creators.
