This paper tackles the problem of high university dropout rates of students from low-income earning backgrounds. It highlights the consensus on why this is the case. It also points out the fact that this phenomenon has not received adequate attention and from the analysis, most of the legal provisions and policies do not provide a strategy to counter student dropout rates as discovered from the findings which show that most of the survey participants do not know of any mechanism to counter this phenomenon. I follow up with recommendations to combat high dropout rates by suggesting that key stakeholders should abolish unfair tuition policies, increase district quota enrolment, revise how education loan schemes are allotted and develop a strategy to combat the dropout of students from the university.    

This policy brief explores the underlying causes and challenges of poor waste management in urban centers and proposes alternatives on how waste can be better handled and managed. Poor waste disposal has been associated with both environmental and health risks such as causing drainage blockages, spreading of diseases such as cholera; and it has contributed to land pollution. With the recent creation of seven new cities in Uganda, Kampala city will be used as a reference to draw lessons from and adopt better mechanisms on containing and managing waste. This policy brief argues that despite the various challenges that Kampala Capital City Authority faces, it needs to scale-up more preventative measures than reactionary measures. There is a need for more commitment and partnerships in creating awareness and enforcement of laws and policies regulating waste management in the city.  

https://youth4policy.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Y4P_Energy_Nakirrija.pdf Energy poverty prevails over the larger portion of the population in Uganda, especially in the rural areas where the majority of the population lives. The absence of reliable and affordable energy resources negatively affects the social and economic welfare of the population. This paper provides an analysis of energy poverty in Uganda and proposes a set of policy alternatives for combating the challenge. To glean more insights into the subject, qualitative research techniques were deployed. These included interviews and focus group discussions with the target population. The interviews and focus group discussions were guided by an open-ended questionnaire. The key findings from the study indicate that low-income levels among the population are the major cause of energy poverty alongside lack of information about the rewards of using modern energy resources and the shortcomings of traditional forms of energy. The findings revealed that due to energy poverty, people are denied opportunities to engage in better income-generating projects; they are prone to health issues arising from the use of traditional unclean energy and very susceptible to low human capital development. To address the above challenges, the following recommendations have been made; increasing energy infrastructure and diversifying the energy mix to reduce pressure on biomass, use of hydroelectricity and fossil fuels, availing information about the different energy facilities and harnessing public-private partnerships in the energy sector.

Despite the advancements made in public health in general, the rural people in Uganda still grapple with poor quality services insofar as maternal health is concerned. There is a dire need for increased funding and support to the health sector and medical personnel who are at the forefront of providing the much-needed maternal health care services in the rural areas so as to combat the ever-increasing deaths. This policy brief makes specific recommendations to the government, parliament, and local leaders on how to improve maternal health services delivery in rural Uganda

Dinnah Nabwire reviews Uganda’s psychosocial support policy in addressing sexual violence in the country’s conflict-affected settings. The study establishes that inadequate psychosocial support not only protracts the effects of sexual violence in and after conflict; it also increases risk and vulnerability to the occurrence of incidents.

Sandra Namarome tackles youth unemployment by taking a closer look at the Skilling Uganda Business, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (BTVET) Strategic Plan to increase Youth Employment in Uganda

Daniel Adyera explores policy options for countering criminal radicalisation and inter-ethnic extremism among South Sudanese youth in refugee settlements in Uganda. The paper contends that the existing laws and policies regulating refugees in the country are to a large extent reactionary and non-target-specific.

This brief recommends that educational policies should prioritise a response to the social factors such as negative gender stereotypes, a gender-inclusive curriculum and prejudiced teacher attitudes that hold girls away from enrolment in STEM disciplines.