Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Youth Affairs, Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy and Inter Party Youth Platform have embarked on a campaign towards Uniting Youth Political leaders across the country for peaceful Coexistence trough sports.
The Campaign will kick off this weekend, Saturday, October 19th 2024, at City High School, Kololo, with an extraordinary football tournament aimed at fostering unity and peaceful coexistence among young political leaders ahead of the upcoming general elections.
The event, promises to provide an inclusive platform for youth to engage in sports as a non-violent form of political expression.
Patrick Muteguya, the Chairperson of the Inter Party Youth Platform, during the launch said that ”the tournament aims to equip young leaders with skills to become ambassadors of peaceful political expression, highlighting sports as a unifying medium. As Uganda prepares for the upcoming elections, this initiative aimed to promote dialogue and mutual respect to mitigate political violence”.
Themed “Promoting Peaceful Coexistence and Reducing Electoral and Political Violence in Uganda,” the tournament will feature over 500 young participants from a wide range of political backgrounds.
Youth leaders from more than 10 political party wings and leagues will join forces to demonstrate that, despite differing ideologies, peaceful collaboration is possible. Each seven-member team will be required to have at least one female participant, reinforcing the importance of inclusion and gender representation.
The guest of honour at the tournament will be Hon. Peter Ogwang, the State Minister for Sports and Education, who is expected to inspire the youth to embrace peace and non-violence during political engagements.
“The Cross- Party Youth Football tournament is a landmark event that aims to promote an inclusive platform for young political leaders to engage and foster unity. Sports activities would create shared experiences among people with differing opinions. The tournament will foster mutual respect and help build long-term positive relationships among the youth”. Muteguya added.
“The main organizers of this tournament hinge in it’s objective to foster mutual respect, social cohesion, building long-term positive relationships among youth from different political affiliations.” He said.
Primus Bahiigi, the Managing Director of NIMD, stated that the tournament aims to challenge the youth to reject political violence in the 2026 elections and instead embrace the spirit of dialogue.
“This engagement will promote a message of non-violence during the upcoming 2026 elections and challenge young leaders in political parties not to plan or participate in electoral or political violence but to embrace the spirit of dialogue to resolve challenges.” He said
Hellen Sayuni, the Vice President of Uganda Youth Democrats from the Democratic Party (DP), noted that the tournament will serve as a unifying factor. She highlighted that even the National Unity Platform (NUP), which is not part of IPOD, will participate in the event.
Invited political parties include the Democratic Party (DP), Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), National Resistance Movement (NRM), National Unity Platform (NUP), Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), Justice Forum (JEEMA), and more. Alongside the political party wings, youth-focused organizations such as the Uganda National Students Association (UNSA), National Youth Council (NYC), Interparty Youth Platform (IYOP), and the Multiparty Youth Forum (MYF) will also participate in the event.
The tournament will conclude with an award ceremony, where the winners will be presented with a trophy. The ceremony will also honor outstanding players, encouraging all participants to uphold the spirit of peace as they continue their political journeys.
