Staff
ARUA, UGANDA — Addressing youth at the Heart to Harvest lecture in Arua, Dr. Okello Sharon Nagenjwa delivered a candid message on civic responsibility, stability, and the cost of political experimentation.
Dr. Okello reminded participants that peace and stability are economic assets often taken for granted. “First smell the peace in your district,” she told the youth, describing West Nile as feeling “like a country of its own” due to stability and economic activity. She noted that higher living costs in the region reflect increased money circulation, not failure.
Drawing from Uganda’s development history, she urged youth not to waste their vote, arguing that abandoning stability risks reversing hard-won gains such as Universal Primary Education (UPE) and long-term security. “When you vote without strategy, you don’t punish leaders—you punish yourselves,” she said.
She openly stated her support for President Yoweri Museveni, describing him as the current custodian of peace and economic continuity. “Whether you like it or not, he is already a winner,” she said, cautioning youth against symbolic voting that does not translate into governance outcomes.
Her message emphasized that economic participation, peace, and political choices are deeply interconnected, and that young people must think beyond protest to long-term national consequences.
