Let a youth leader be a youth, we don’t want youth chairmen who are 54 years old - Mulunga | WestMac Media

By Staff Reporter, Lusaka 

Youth from political parties have agreed to push their political parties to elect ‘real youth’ as leaders of youth wings. 

And Jones Mulunga who was one of the facilitators of the workshop said youths should not expect people who are not youths themselves to help them push for their agenda. 

He said most youth leaders in political parties are not youths but have held the positions so as to use them for personal gains. 

“It is high time that we told leaders in our parties that we don’t want youths chairmen who are 54 years old. Let a youth leader be a youth. How do you expect a 54 or more years to push for your agenda even in your individual parties. 

“We have so many challenges as young people and of the reasons these challenges are not being addressed is because the people we have chosen to be our leaders are not in our group. They are youth chairmen who are in those position because they want to use them to negotiate for personal things no wonder you find that instead addressing our issues they make us fight,” he said. 

Mr Mulunga said the only way youths will effectively participate in the governance of the country is by reclaiming their rightful positions in their political parties. 

And some youth have since called on fellow youths to stop involving themselves in the political disputes of their leaders because it is not their fight. 

The youths who met during a capacity building workshop for women youths from various political parties on Saturday said having youth leaders who are not youthful has affected the Youth agenda in the country hence the need to have leaders who share the challenges faced by youths in the country. 

Meanwhile some youths advised fellow youths in political parties to stay away from the disputes between political leaders because it is not their fight. 

Samual N’gwira who is from UPND said the leaders who are seen to be at each other’s throats in the media share drinks when they meet. 

He said it is sad that youths are used to fight the battles they hardly understand when there is so much on their plates. He wondered why a young person from UPND should insult a leader of PF on behalf of his leaders when the said leaders share contracts even among themselves. 

He urged fellow youths to preoccupy themselves with issues that can contribute to the wellbeing land the country at large. 

The workshop which was organised by the Centre for Young Leaders in Africa was attended by over 40 young women from different political parties.