HON JIMMY AKENA WAS NEVER INVOLVED IN THE JUST ENDED CRISIS OF "YOUTH TAKE OVER" ACTION AT UPC HEAD QUARTERS AT ALL.

Dear All,

 Dear UPC Netters and Ugandans at Hearts,

I write to correct the misinformation and  disinformation on the recent "youth take over" action that paralyzed activity at the UPC head quarters between Tuesday 6th December 2011 to Friday 9th November 2011.   HON JIMMY AKENA WAS NEVER INVOLVED AT ALL IN THE RECENT YOUTH TAKE OVER CRISIS IN UGANDA HOUSE...!  I have crossed checked the facts in the last 24 hours and I have no doubt in my mind that Hon Jimmy Akena Obote was NEVER involved.

I  Leonard Okello is the one who walked Dr. Olara Otunnu out of Kenya Airways on August 21st 2009 after 30 years in exile. I am also the one who coordinated his campaign strategy  that took him to the UPC Presidency.  I am the one who also refused to actively participate in Dr. Otunnu's campaign bid for the Uganda Presidency  because by September 2010 it became clear to me that this was a waste of time because Dr. Otunnu himself had personally  taken certain decisions on how to organize his campaign that had simply set himself for a miserable failure at the Feb 2011 polls.

I can say with authority that the recent troubles are right at his foot steps and that he, Dr. Otunnu, knows that truth very well. The youth have also clearly stated their concerns  and have agreed to put it in writing to UPC leadership for the next weeks cabinet meeting consideration.  The  latest problems with the UPC youth started at the UPC National Council meeting in May 2011 held at the Ankra Foundation in Mukono. In this meeting the idea  of   re-establish a UPC Youth League and a UPC Women's League was discussed at length. Dr. Otunnu was not willing to take any of these proposals, and at the end of a long heated debate it was agreed that the Party President  leads a review of youth leagues across the region to make recommendation for presentation to the next national council meeting to take a final decision and this is still to happen. The youth are losing patience with the party leadership on the question of the UPC youth programme.  There is no way that this concerns can be blamed on Hon, Jimmy Akena when leaders of the party have not given a clear answer to the youth. Most of the people now leading this country in NRM and other parties started their long journey in UPC youth wing (Hon Jaberi Bidandi Ssali) , in the National Union of Students of Uganda (NUSU- e.g. Hon. Ruhakana Rugunda and myself Leonard Okello) and in the national Union of Youth Organisations (NUYO). If the leaders of UPC at that time adopted  mean attitude towards youth leadership development and only saw youth activism as a risky venture that they could not dare leave with the way I see today in UPC, these leaders would probably not be around serving this country. There is no political organization that can have a future without a clear youth mobilisation, recruitment and development programme. Dr Otunnu has to show leadership from this youth crisis at the party head quarters and come out clear with what exactly he wants of a youth programme.  Let those who are concerned not use the  Akena Jimmy and Museveni scape goat to hide their lack delivery of a youth programme.

THE UPC YOUTH HAVE SPOKEN AND  THE UPC LEADERSHIP MUST RESPOND EFFECTIVELY...!


 Solidarity

Leonard Okello