Nurturing a Patriotic Citizenry

in Uganda: Examining the

Contribution of a Compulsory
National Youth Service Program

Some of the participants who attended the 14 Monthly Expert Seminar on Civic Education at
Centre for Basic Research, Kololo on September 24, 2019 listening to the Keynote speaker,
Col. Nelson Aheebwa, the UPDF Deputy Chief of Civil-Military Cooperation.

CBR Civic Education Policy Brief No. 14,

October 2019
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Introduction
Centre for Basic Research (CBR) is implementing a project titled: ‘strengthening Evidence-based Democratic Governance
Agenda Setting and Engagement by Civil Society in Uganda’. The project, which is supported by Democracy Governance
Facility (DGF), considers civic education as one of the foundations upon which democracy thrives, seeks to produce, manage
and disseminate knowledge in such a way that enables civic education stakeholders and practitioners to pragmatically engage
duty bearers and the citizenry to enhance democratic governance practices.

Through conducting Monthly Expert Seminars on critical civic education issues, CBR has created opportunities for civic
education intellectuals and practitioners to engage with emerging challenges of democracy to understand not only how to
deepen democratic governance discourses, but also to critique its approaches, delivery mechanisms and impact. The public
discussions generated are considered relevant to nurture consensuses on contested political and other issues that affect the
country’s democratic dispensations.

The 14th Monthly Expert Seminar on Civic Education, which was held at Centre for Basic Research, Kampala, on September
24, 2019, sought not only to broaden the debates on patriotism by interrogating the factors that explain limited patriotism
exhibited by certain sections of the Ugandan population, most especially the youth and many adults, but also to continue the
national conversations about the place of the National Youth Service program in building a civically competent citizenry in
terms of civic knowledge, civic skills and civic disposition. The National Youth Service is one of interventions considered as the
bed-rock for creating a patriotic citizenry. The latter would, among others, consider it an obligation to defend the country, and
are always willing to do everything within their means to contribute to strengthening democratic governance that the country
aspires to create.

The keynote address on the topic ‘Nurturing a Patriotic Citizenry in Uganda: Examining the Contribution of a Compulsory
National Youth Service Program’, was delivered by Col. Nelson Aheebwa, Deputy Chief of Civil-Military Cooperation, Uganda
Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF), and was discussed by John Ssenkumba, a Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Basic
Research and PhD Fellow, Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR).

Issues raised in the Keynote Presentation on the National Youth Service Program:
The seminar heard that systematic and protracted civic education cannot be overlooked in any country that seeks to establish
and nurture patriotism among the different categories of its citizens. A national youth service program is one of the key
avenues of nurturing and sustaining the continued propagation of vibrant patriotism, to which both state and non-state actors
have a role to play.

Seminars participants were told that patriotism refers to the love for one’s country and a desire to make her better. A Patriot is
not only a person who loves, supports and defends his or her country and its interests with devotion, but also one who is ready
to sacrifice his or her all for her cause, and wholeheartedly works for the welfare of his motherland.

It was argued in the seminar that having a patriotic mind-set was arguably one of the best achievements that any well-
thinking person can attain; and this entailed, a combination of the following: Love for the country and people; sympathetic
understanding of the needs of one’s community or society; sense of service to others; willingness to sacrifice for the sake of
the nation, and; observance of one’s duties towards the nation. A patriotic citizen is a conscious citizen who is always keen to
know what is happening in her/his country, and show their love to their country by striving to change the bad things about it.

The seminar heard that a patriotic citizen is one who: (a) is more concerned about the bigger picture and gives up his/her
individual interests for the sake of the collective common good; (b) doesn’t take undue advantage of his/her rights and makes
sure that they fulfil their duties before making any demands; (c) is aware that any imbalance between rights of citizens on one
hand, and duties of the citizen on the other, can disrupt the equilibrium of citizens’ freedoms, which is the last thing a conscious
citizen would wish to see happen, and; (d) acknowledges that despite drawbacks in a developing country like Uganda, it is the
primary responsibility of citizens to make their contribution in making the country a better place. A civically conscious citizen
takes the first step in doing that which is commonly perceived as being in the best interest of the country rather than wait for
others.

A patriotic citizen is not an extraordinary person, but a normal citizen who chooses to behave in the most ethical manner. It
may be difficult to be ethical in today’s world, but it is not impossible. Civically conscious citizens do whatever it takes within
their means to make the most ethical way seem like the right way. Patriotism is contagious because conscious citizens often
have a positive effect on people around them.

The seminar heard that while the way National Youth Service programs are operationalized varies from country to country, they
are generally defined as “an organized activity in which young people serve others and the environment in ways that contribute
positively to society”. The major areas of service in such program are: health, education, environmental conservation and
care for the very old and the very young. Among others, National Youth Service programs have been initiated to deliver social
and environmental services, alleviate youth unemployment, provide alternatives to required military service, experientially
complement classroom education, and engage youth in nation-building.

The seminar heard that many countries use National Youth Service programs as a vehicle for conveniently inculcating a
culture of service among youth by supporting them to constructively participate in nation-building. Through such programs,
an understanding of the role youth play in the promotion of civic awareness and national reconstruction is inculcated in young
people. Central to such undertaking, has been the desire to develop the skills, knowledge and ability of young people as they

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transition to adulthood. Many youths who participate in such programs acquire skills and experience which improves their
employability. Due to its potential to harness a country’s untapped human resource, these programs are considered as a
vehicle for enhancing the delivery of the country’s development objectives, especially to disadvantaged communities.

In addition, seminar participants were told how National Youth Service programs are important in removing tribal/ethnic,
religious and other prejudices on the basis of which youth get manipulated. The resulting corporate sense of existence and
common destiny of the people in the country makes it possible for youths to eschew any form of intolerance, paving way for
mutual peaceful co-existence.

The seminar heard that in Nigeria, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is a scheme set by Decree 24 of 1973, and has
subsequently been used by government to involve graduates in nation building and the development of the country. It does not
involve military conscription, but requires all graduates from universities and polytechnics to enrol in the National Youth Service
Corps program for one year known as national service year.

In Kenya, the National Youth Service (NYS) was re-enacted by Senate on 18th July 2013 as a compulsory pre-University entry
conscription of high school graduates to, with an objective of giving young people vocational skills, instilling patriotism, and
empowering them to help safeguard the country in the face of many future challenges.

In Zimbabwe, the National Youth Service was a program of the Zimbabwean government for Zimbabweans of ages 10 to 30.
It was introduced in 2000 and its stated purpose was to transform and empower youths for nation building through life skills
training and leadership development. In Ghana, since 1973, all graduates from Ghanaian tertiary institutions must complete
a one-year national service program. In Jamaica, the National Youth Service has since its establishment in 1973, been used
as a vehicle for equipping youth aged 17-24 years with the necessary life coping skills to foster their personal and career
development as well as enhance their contribution to community and national development.

Although National Youth Service programs have evolved in different contexts informed by the needs and conditions of individual
countries, four broad categories exist globally. The seminar heard that one common characteristic of such programs typical
of affluent countries has been the drive to inculcate civic responsibility to encourage young people to contribute to their own
society or other societies in need. Such programs include the Civilian Conservation Corps, Peace Corps, Volunteer in Service
to America, AmeriCorps in USA; Voluntary Service Overseas in the United Kingdom and Canada World Youth in Canada.

In many countries, the National Youth Service Programs have been used as a vehicle for consciousness transformation for
developing a common national identity to overcome a difficult past. Examples include: Youth Service in China; Katimavik in
Canada; the National Youth Service Corps in Nigeria, and the Zivildienst in Germany.

There are countries where the National Youth Service has been instrumental in helping recovery from either a civil war or war
of liberation by helping to mobilize resources to rehabilitate and restore a struggling economy or environmental system. This
is the case of Zimbabwe and India. In countries where significant human resources are already mobilized through mandatory
military service, the energies of young people have been harnessed to help with nation-building initiatives through National
Youth Service programs, as is the case in Germany.

The implementation of National Youth Service differs from country to country, and is all dependent on the needs and situations
of each country. For countries where conflicts and national security are of significant concern, more strenuous and mandatory
military aspects of the National Youth Service are applied. For instance, Israel comes into this category. Whereas countries
that have less conflict, a more social and economic emphasis are given while other countries would go for a hybrid of both the
military and socio-economic concerns in developing their National Youth Service programs.

The seminar heard that Uganda is currently faced with a challenge of a high population of unengaged youths; many of them
are unemployed and waiting for opportunities to emerge. Government, its agencies as well as development partners and civil
society have been grappling with fining the most feasible way to make the most use of this massive labour force by engaging
it in productive activities.

Key issues raised in the Plenary Discussions

Participants who perceived the proposed National Youth Service program as a good and long over-due initiative were concerned
over the likelihood that some categories of youth would be excluded from if the minimum entry point is pre-University. Millions
of deserving youth who are unable to complete Ordinary level secondary education are likely to be excluded.

Participant wondered why patriotism appears to be more entrenched among the members of the security forces compared to
the civilian population. Participant challenged the efficacy of government’s economic position on unrestrained open market
economics as defeating good-intentioned programs such as ‘Buy Ugandan Build Uganda’ (BUBU) to the extent that the
incentives offered investors that appeared to favor foreign investors as opposed to indigenous ones, which was causing
pessimism about the future of Uganda.

Although the National Youth Service Program was intended to target the youth, seminar participants wondered why youth had
been left out in the deliberations and discussions concerning its design. As bystanders and non-engaged recruits, youth could
very easily become passive and disinterested parties, especially when it is made compulsory. There were mixed reaction to a
mandatory National Youth Service Program, with some suggesting youth be allowed the choice to participate or opt out. The
seminar was cautioned against borrowing National Youth Service Program models from elsewhere without considering their
relevance to Uganda’s unique history and current context. Seminar participants were cognizant of the need to enhance youth
involvement and participation in the deliberations of the future National Youth Service Program to generate greater interest,
relevance and ownership of the programs.

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A youth participant observed that while it is a good undertaking to teach citizens about patriotism, and doing so starting at a
very tender age, the more enduring sense of patriotism can best be inculcated if citizens have a concrete appreciation of the
tangible provisions from the state. Another youth participant acknowledged that student leaders from Makerere University
who were taken to the National Leadership Training Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi for leadership training for one-week
appreciated the knowledge they acquired, and wondered why NALI cannot become more open to serve a wider catchment of
different categories of youth in Uganda.

There was a call to revisit the idea of the National Youth Service program, preferring instead a National Service Schemes,
in which all age categories can have an opportunity to participate. One view was that instead of targeting a particular age
bracket for recruitment, recruitment be rolled out in a phased manner taking into consideration different age groups of the
population. For example, it was suggested there should be provision for National Service starting with the formative years at
post-primary levels, followed by a second phase after secondary education for those who attain 18 years and above, without
forgetting introductory national service boot camps for children. That way, a wider spectrum of youth should participate rather
than only focusing on youth only at university pre-entry level. The older persons should also not be left, as they need to be
engaged. There seemed to emerge a consensus that Uganda needs to institutionalize the National Service agendas from the
Early Childhood Education levels.

Key Policy Messages:

1. Government of Uganda needs and should promote a skill orientated and nation-wide inclusive National Service (NS)
program.

2. If Government of Uganda intends to focus on a National Youth Service (NYS) programme, youth should be integral
in all phases of the agenda; conception, design, implementation and outcomes, without forgetting the need for civic
education at all citizens.

3. There is need for Government to use a multi-sectoral approach in designing and implementing the National Service
(NS) or National Youth Service (NYS) integrating civil society - private sector – and public partnerships.

4. The role of the military, UPDF, is significant in designing and promoting vibrant NS/NYS schemes. It will ensure that
there is a strong civic-military relationship and Ugandans are enabled to ‘civilise the gun’. In addition, and that youth
and adults can act as a national reserve force.

5. It is crucial that the NS/NYS are seen to be non-partisan by not leaning on any political party or serving interests of the
incumbency at the expense of dissenting political views or parties.

The Keynote Speaker, Col. Nelson Aheebwa, the UPDF Deputy Chief of Civil-Military
Cooperation, making his presentation at the 14 Monthly Expert Seminar on Civic Education at
Centre for Basic Research, Kololo on September 24, 2019
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