Nyamutoro opposes removal of youth parliamentary seats 

The Minister of State for Mineral Development, Phiona Nyamutoro, who also serves as the National Youth MP, has firmly opposed proposals to scrap youth parliamentary seats in Uganda.

As part of the public push to reduce the size of Parliament, there have been discussions suggesting that special seats for youth representatives should be eliminated, a move Phiona argues would be detrimental to youth inclusivity in governance.

"Our job is to re-echo the voices of young people in Parliament. We have high youth inclusivity in Uganda’s legislation, and this is because of the affirmative action that allows youth to elect five regional youth representatives and one national youth MP," she said.

One of the arguments raised in favour of removing youth MPs is that many young people are already being elected to Parliament through regular constituency seats, making special youth representation unnecessary. 

However, Nyamutoro strongly disagrees with this viewpoint.

"They say that youths do not need special seats in Parliament because the number of young people that go into Parliament has increased anyway. But people need to know that it is not about age but about the lens through which we view youth perspectives," she explained.

She stressed that even if younger legislators enter Parliament, they may not necessarily champion youth-specific issues, as their focus could be on broader national concerns. 

The role of youth MPs, she insisted, is to ensure that the unique concerns of young people are prioritised and addressed directly.

"Even when there are many young people in Parliament discussing different national issues, there still has to be scrutiny from the youth lens. What are the young people saying? What do they want to be put on the table, and what are their tailor-made solutions?" she asked.

Achievements of Youth MPs in Parliament

Nyamutoro pointed out that youth MPs have been instrumental in securing policies and allocations that specifically benefit young Ugandans.

She cited the government’s Parish Development Model (PDM), where youth MPs successfully negotiated for a gazette of 30% of the funds to be allocated to young people.

"When we had just entered office, the government introduced PDM, and we were able to bargain for 30% of that money to go to the youths. For every UGX 100 million allocated to a parish, 30% must be designated for young people," she noted.

Another key achievement she highlighted was the amendment of the PPDA (Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets) Act, which now mandates that 30% of all local contracts be awarded to young people.

"All the youth inclusiveness you see in government has been negotiated by the youth MPs," Phiona emphasised.

The Future of Youth Representation in Uganda

With these contributions in mind, Phiona insists that removing youth parliamentary seats would set back the progress made in ensuring that young people have a significant say in national decision-making.

"If you ask me whether youth MPs deserve to stay, I would say yes," she affirmed.

The debate over reducing the size of Uganda’s Parliament is expected to continue, but Phiona and other youth leaders are determined to defend the necessity of youth representatives, arguing that their presence in Parliament ensures that young Ugandans remain actively involved in shaping the country’s policies and future.