Leaders and security officials in the Rwenzori sub-region have hailed President Yoweri Museveni’s Presidential Industrial Skilling Hubs as a powerful intervention in the fight against insecurity, saying the programme is giving vulnerable young people skills, employment opportunities and a chance to build independent livelihoods.The officials said the hubs are helping address one of the factors that expose unemployed and idle youth to criminal and subversive groups by equipping them with practical vocational skills and connecting graduates to start-up opportunities through SACCOs.
The assessment was made during stakeholder engagements at the Presidential Industrial Skilling Hubs in Kasese and Ntoroko, which were chaired by State House Comptroller Jane Barekye. Kasese District Internal Security Officer Mohammad Ikaaba said the programme had created opportunities for young people who could otherwise become targets for recruitment into subversive activities.Ikaaba pointed to the activities of a group identified as Kirumira Mutima, which he said had targeted vulnerable youth and was linked to attacks on government installations in Kasese, Fort Portal and Bundibugyo on November 1, 2025. He said some hub graduates had since become positive influencers in their communities and were even helping security agencies by providing information on suspected subversive activities.
Lt Col Emmanuel Kafureka, Commander of the 222 Mountain Brigade, said the impact of the programme was extending beyond vocational training to strengthening peace and stability. He called for the Four-Acre Model to be introduced at the Kasese hub, arguing that commercial agriculture would provide another productive avenue for young people.Kafureka also appealed for more government land to support the agricultural component and urged State House to engage Uganda Prisons over land previously proposed for the project. He further called for the age bracket of beneficiaries to be widened and for trades such as mechanical engineering and plumbing to be added.Kasese leaders said the programme had already reached more than 1,000 young people in the area, but stressed that training must be followed by adequate financial support. Deputy Resident District Commissioner Joshua Katunda said the hubs had offered unemployed and school-dropout youth an alternative to criminal activities, while LC5 Chairperson Eliphaz Muhindi Bukombi said more start-up funding was needed to help graduates turn their skills into sustainable businesses.
At the Ntoroko hub, Fort Portal City Resident City Commissioner Asumin Nasike described the programme as performing well and revealed that several graduates had been recruited into the Uganda People’s Defence Forces. State House Director of Presidential Projects and Presidential Industrial Hubs, Eng. Raymond Kamugisha, also praised the Rwenzururu Kingdom for encouraging young people to join the programme. Barekye said additional trades, including mechanics, plumbing and electrical installation, would be introduced, but maintained that the hubs would continue prioritising free training for underprivileged youth rather than private sponsorship.
