Your Excellency, H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni President of the Republic of Uganda,
I respectfully extend warm congratulations to Mr. Arthur Mugyenyi upon his appointment as Director General of the Internal Security Organization (ISO), and to Mr. Tony Kinyera Apecu as Deputy Director General. Their leadership comes at a critical moment for our nation, and I wish them success as they carry forward the heavy responsibility of safeguarding Uganda’s stability.
Allow me to commend Your Excellency for the strategic injection of Shs 1.2 billion into twelve ghetto SACCOs within the Kampala Metropolitan Area. This intervention, implemented through Brig. Ddamulira and Maj. Emma Kutesa, was both timely and impactful. It demonstrated government’s resolve to move beyond rhetoric and take deliberate action in addressing urban youth vulnerability a hallmark of the NRM’s philosophy of transforming society through practical empowerment.
As the nation marks one year since the passing of the late Director General of ISO, Brigadier General Charles Oluka, it is fitting to reflect on and safeguard the vision he championed: empowerment and socio-economic transformation through wealth creation and poverty alleviation for over 2 million marginalized street and slum youth in Greater Kampala and 300,000 veterans and families of fallen soldiers. His vision was deeply rooted in patriotism, security, and development — values that resonate with the NRM’s enduring mission of socio-economic transformation.
During his tenure, Brig. Gen. Oluka engaged extensively with Quality Education Consultancy Ltd (QECL) and ISO leadership to refine a strategic project: Demand-Driven Multi-Skills Training for Socio-Economic Transformation. This initiative targeted underprivileged street children, slum youth, veterans, crime preventers, families of fallen soldiers, and retiring UPDF/ISO officers. It was designed as a structured intervention to address socio-economic and security challenges, and was formally advanced for Your Excellency’s consideration.
The project comprises seven integrated components — Life Skills Development, Entrepreneurship, Livelihood Skills, Practical Empowerment, Financial Literacy, Institutional Support, and Mindset & Behavioral Change (including patriotism). These components are deliberately aligned with internationally recognized stages of business development to guarantee measurable outcomes, with an impact rate projected between 60% and 80%.
This initiative is consistent with the mission of QECL and OPUL Skilling Foundation Africa (OSFA), whose motto is “Innovative Skilling as Medicine to Extreme Poverty.” Their long-term ambition to facilitate 20 million business start-ups and create 40 million decent jobs by 2035 directly supports the NRM Manifesto 2026–2031, NDP IV, and Your Excellency’s vision of ensuring that government livelihood programmes deliver tangible results in lifting communities out of poverty.
Your Excellency, although Brig. Gen. Oluka is no longer with us, his vision must not fade. He understood that empowering vulnerable youth was not only an economic necessity but also a strategic security measure. By turning desperation into productivity and vulnerability into opportunity, this project embodies the NRM’s principle that prevention is better than cure.
Today, ghetto youth in Greater Kampala continue to face unemployment, poverty, and exclusion, leaving them vulnerable to manipulation. Reviving and operationalizing this project would honor Brig. Gen. Oluka’s legacy while strengthening urban security, youth skilling, innovation, and inclusive economic growth all pillars of the NRM’s ideology of socio-economic transformation.
Call to Action
Your Excellency, I humbly submit the following for your consideration:
Direct the Internal Security Organization to revisit and prioritize this project as part of a broader national security and economic stabilization framework.
Provide strategic leadership and policy guidance for its implementation as a multi-sectoral youth empowerment and poverty alleviation intervention.
Support structured collaboration between ISO, QECL, OSFA, and relevant government agencies to operationalize this strategy without delay.
Your Excellency, Uganda’s stability tomorrow depends on how deliberately we invest in and secure the future of our youth today. Brig. Gen. Oluka played his part with courage and foresight. Let us ensure that his vision lives on and delivers lasting dividends for the nation he faithfully served.
QECL and OSFA remain available for collaboration with government institutions and development partners. We may be reached on 0772 999 346 / 0752 999 346 or via email at: regionaldirector@qualityeducationconsultancylimited.com ceo@opulskillingfoundationafrica.org
I remain your most humble and patriotic servant.
Dr. OPUL Joseph,PhD
Lecturer, Gulu University, Post-Doctoral Fellow at University of Dar es Salaam
Director, OPUL Skilling Foundation Africa & Quality Education Consultancy Ltd
Do you have a story in your community or an opinion to share with us: Email us at Submit an Article
