Young people make mistakes – Museveni warns amid pressure to appoint youths in government

President Yoweri Museveni has cautioned against equating youthfulness with effective leadership, as he responded to calls for greater youth representation in government.

The president sounded the warning during his second edition of the online interactive session with Ugandan youths, dubbed Jazz with Jajja.

The engagement was held at his Kisozi ranch and was attended by First Lady Janet Museveni, while his daughter, Natasha Karugire, moderated the discussion.

One of the panellists, Tamale Mirundi Jr, challenged the President on the composition of his government. 

He argued that although Uganda’s population is predominantly young, many senior government positions are occupied by older leaders. 

“We pray that in the next government you give more positions of authority to young people, because it is young people that understand young people,” Mirundi said.

“There are challenges that young people are going through that don't even need money but understanding human behaviour.”

In response, President Museveni said he supported the idea of appointing young people and noted that he had done so before. 

He cited former minister Evelyn Anite, whom he appointed while she was still in her twenties. 

However, he urged young people not to “confuse biology with ideology”, warning that being young does not automatically translate into clarity of purpose or sound leadership.

Museveni referenced Uganda’s leaders at Independence, noting that figures such as Milton Obote and Kabaka Mutesa II were relatively young at the time, yet their leadership ultimately fell short. 

“You may be young but lost in terms of what to do. A good example is our leaders at Independence. They were all young people. Mutesa was 39, Obote was 35, Kakonge was 26; the only one who was above 40 was Nadiope. But they failed.”

The President stressed that leadership requires correct ideological grounding rather than youthful energy alone. 

He cautioned that if young leaders focus on leisure, such as following football clubs like Arsenal F.C., without prioritising wealth creation and job opportunities, the country would not progress.

“When you say youths understand young people, they have to understand them correctly. If they say we the young people want to watch Arsenal, and all the youth go to watch Arsenal including our ministers, without knowing how to create wealth and jobs, you will all be lost”

Reflecting on Uganda’s liberation struggle, Museveni noted that both sides of the 1980s bush war conflict were largely composed of young people, arguing that what mattered was not age but the correctness of one’s cause. 

“Mistake makers can be young,” he concluded, underscoring his belief that responsibility and ideological clarity should guide leadership appointments.