A growing debate is emerging in Uganda’s Lira City following what residents describe as a sharp contradiction between political promises made to vulnerable youth and the reality now facing them.
Residents recall assurances surrounding youth training at Arova Reality in Elwa Cell, Barapwoo Ward, Lira City west, where Betty Amongi presented the initiative as an opportunity for young people to access skills training without payment.
The message created hope among many vulnerable youth who believed that the programme would give them practical skills to improve their livelihoods.
However, an advertisement now circulating on social media indicates that Arova Reality is charging UGX 350,000 for training in areas including tailoring and fashion design, hairdressing, bakery, welding and other vocational skills.
For many residents, this has raised a fundamental question: If the training was presented as free, why are young people now being asked to pay UGX 350,000?
In the language of Lango, one may aptly say, “Yamo okutu dud gweno oko”—literally, the hidden motive has now come out into the open.
The issue becomes even more concerning for the more than 250 vulnerable youth who were mobilised to participate in the training in December 2025. If they were led to believe that the programme would be free, the introduction of a UGX 350,000 charge leaves many of them stranded because they cannot afford the fee.
Opio Bob of Amuca, expressing the frustration of some residents, questioned why young people should be given promises only to discover later that they must pay.
“There is nothing for free from Amongi; whether directly or indirectly, you must pay. Why fool us? Why lie to the youth of Lira City yet now you are charging our children?”
However, Ayao Dinna of Omito stated that Amongi Betty and lies are literally twin sisters, no one in Lira City should trust any of her word or promises.
Whether one agrees with this political criticism or not, the concerns being raised deserve a clear and transparent response. Young people who were mobilised for the program deserve to know exactly what was promised, who was responsible for the promise, what the actual training costs are and why the current charges differ from the expectations created earlier.
This controversy also comes at a time when Lira City residents are increasingly demanding greater accountability from political leaders and organizations involved in youth empowerment programs.
There have also been concerns about the schemes in which young people are promised opportunities to travel for employment in the Middle East and are subsequently required to raise millions of shillings.
The local residents are now demanding that such programs must be subjected to proper scrutiny, transparency and clear contractual terms so that vulnerable young people are not exposed to exploitation.
Political leadership should ultimately be about empowering citizens—not creating dependency, confusion or disappointment.
If a program is free, it should be clearly and consistently presented as free.
If participants are required to pay, that information should be disclosed from the beginning. Changing the financial terms after mobilizing vulnerable young people understandably creates suspicion and frustration.
Lira City residents say they are watching and people are becoming increasingly conscious of the difference between political promises and practical delivery.
One young man said; “The youth of Lira City do not need political slogans. They need genuine skills, transparent programmes, affordable opportunities and leaders who stand by their word.”
He added: “Yamo okutu dud gweno oko.” The hidden motive, whatever it may be, is now in the open. The ball is therefore in the court of those responsible for the Arova Reality training programme to explain the apparent contradiction and restore confidence among the young people who were mobilized to participate.”