By Jumah Kakomo
The Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) has called on the government to establish a comprehensive framework for vocational skills training and youth mentorship to ensure that learners completing their national examinations use their holidays productively.
In a statement on Wednesday, UPC spokesperson Arach Oyat Sharon congratulated Senior Four candidates who have completed their Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) Ordinary Level examinations, as well as those who are yet to finish.
The party also wished Primary Seven candidates success ahead of their Primary Leaving Examinations, scheduled to begin on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
Sharon described the post-Senior Four holiday as an important transition from basic education to skills development and productive participation in society.
She urged the government to expand access to vocational training, community apprenticeships and career guidance, particularly in agriculture, industry and the services sector.
The UPC spokesperson also appealed to students to resist negative peer pressure and risky behaviour, urging them to embrace discipline, personal responsibility and positive participation in their communities.
She called on parents, elders, community leaders and employers to mentor young people, provide safe environments and create opportunities for honest work, rather than expose them to exploitation.
The party further urged the government to strengthen youth protection policies, career guidance programmes and community mentorship initiatives.
On sanitation and public health, the UPC has cautioned that the National Cleaning Day initiative must be supported by effective waste collection, transportation and final disposal systems.
The party acknowledged the importance of community cleaning efforts but said the exercise would be incomplete if collected rubbish were left in heaps along roadsides for extended periods.
According to the UPC, abandoned waste poses public health risks and can obstruct drainage systems.
The party called on the government, Kampala Capital City Authority and city and municipal councils across the country to ensure that garbage trucks and appropriate disposal facilities are available at designated collection points.
The UPC also advocated for a human-rights-based approach to sanitation enforcement, saying public participation and civic mobilisation should take precedence over the inhumane treatment of citizens.
On the preservation of Constitutional Square, formerly known as City Square, the UPC head of media and communications, Faizo Muzeyi welcomed the government’s decision to retain the public space as a protected heritage site.
The party referred to an announcement by the Minister of ICT and National Guidance, Justine Kasule Lumumba, on October 27, 2026, indicating that Cabinet had reversed a proposal to redevelop the Square following a meeting at State House, Entebbe, on October 26.
The UPC said the decision was consistent with its longstanding position that Constitutional Square should be preserved as a heritage site, ecological asset and public space.
The party urged the government to formally protect the country’s remaining green spaces, wetlands and public parks as part of a broader national development and environmental conservation policy.
