The Secretary at the National Secretariat for Special Interest Groups (NSIGs) under the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Osborn Turyasingura, has raised concern over the growing monetisation of politics, warning that it continues to deny special interest groups the quality leadership they deserve.

Speaking to Canary Mugume during Next Big Talk hosted by Next Radio on Monday, Turyasingura argued that political leadership is increasingly determined by financial power rather than competence, integrity, or commitment to service.

"Because of the monetization of politics, oftentimes we end up not getting the leaders that we deserve--especially for the special interest groups--because the highest bidder ends up taking the day," he said.

Turyasingura explained that this trend disproportionately affects special interest groups, including youth, women, older persons, persons with disabilities, and workers, whose representation should be rooted in advocacy and lived experience rather than financial muscle.

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Turyasingura further identified youth unemployment as the most urgent challenge currently facing the country, describing it as a growing crisis that requires immediate and coordinated intervention.

"The most pressing issue we are grappling with is unemployment among young people. Competition for the few available jobs is extremely stiff," he said.

Turyasingura added that the situation is worsened by significant skills gaps among job seekers, which he attributed largely to structural weaknesses in the education system.

According to him, many young people exit formal education without the practical and market-relevant skills required by today's labour market.