Strengthening youth involvement towards sustaining peace in Kampala Metropolitan Area

Abstract

The study examined youth involvement in sustaining peace within the Kampala Metropolitan Area (KMA) of Uganda. The research was guided by three specific objectives: to assess the current roles and participation of youth in sustaining peace; to identify the challenges that hinder meaningful youth involvement in sustaining peace; and to suggest strategies and recommendations for strengthening meaningful youth involvement in sustaining peace in the Kampala Metropolitan Area. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was adopted, in which quantitative and qualitative data were collected concurrently at a single point in time and integrated at the interpretation stage. This study was fundamentally grounded in Social Capital Theory and Youth Empowerment Theory to underscore its core importance. The study involved 278 respondents comprising community residents, youth leaders, local government officials, and civil society representatives. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, and focus group discussions, and analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Key findings revealed that youth involvement in peacebuilding was low to moderate (mean = 2.63), with only 16 percent of respondents affirming active youth engagement in grassroots peace activities and 27 percent confirming adequate youth representation on community peace committees. Major challenges included information asymmetry (71 percent), inadequate training (74 percent), and limited participation opportunities (69 percent). Respondents strongly endorsed strategies such as including youth in peace decision-making (82 percent), increasing government support (85 percent), and youth-targeted peace education (77 percent). The study concluded that structural exclusion, tokenism, and limited information access remain key barriers to youth participation in peacebuilding. It recommends establishing funded youth peace platforms at local government levels, creating a Youth Peacebuilding Fund, integrating peacebuilding skills into training curricula, and institutionalizing information campaigns. These measures are vital for building an inclusive and sustainable youth participation framework for peace in the Kampala Metropolitan Area.