President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has hosted former Kenyan President, H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta, at State House Entebbe. The courtesy visit followed Kenyatta’s participation as a keynote speaker at the second Annual Guild Leaders’ Summit held at Makerere University on April 24.
The summit, organized by the Guild Presidents Leadership Academy (GPLA), brought together Guild Presidents and student leaders from universities across East Africa, including Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, South Sudan, Rwanda, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“I am very grateful, Mzee, for your warm welcome. Your people have looked after us well. We hope we met the expectations of our youth through the engagements we had,” said H.E. Kenyatta during his visit.
Kenyatta commended the youth for their passion and unity, highlighting the strong sense of regional cohesion he observed during the summit.
“The student leaders were highly engaging. The key issues they raised were unemployment and job creation. What excited me most was their realization that they are stronger together. They can’t just sit back and wait for things to happen—they must take the lead,” he emphasized.
He further urged young people to rise above ethnic and religious divisions and focus on building a shared future.
“They must overcome these barriers and realize their common destiny. But that destiny will not come to them in their bedrooms—they have to go out and work for it,” Kenyatta added.
He noted that student leaders held two panel discussions, where they posed critical questions to regional policymakers.
“When people don’t see leaders producing results, they lose interest. Leadership must start from the grassroots and respond to the real issues affecting our people,” he said.
President Museveni welcomed the initiative and expressed interest in directly engaging with the Guild Presidents Leadership Academy.
“I would like to meet the leadership academy and strategize on the kind of message we should be spreading to the youth,” he stated.
Museveni praised Kenyatta for his continued efforts in promoting regional unity and described him as a true pan-Africanist.
“H.E. Uhuru is a pan-Africanist,” he said, recalling the strong impression Kenyatta made during his presidential inauguration.
Addressing one of the summit’s major concerns—youth unemployment—President Museveni emphasized the importance of business growth and market access.
“The jobs you’re talking about will come when businesses succeed. But for businesses to thrive, we must solve the issue of market access. Without a market, the economy cannot grow,” he said.
Drawing from historical examples, Museveni illustrated how economic unity fueled the development of Europe.
“Germany was once 31 kingdoms until business leaders pushed for unity. The same happened in France, where the middle class—blocked by internal barriers—triggered the French Revolution,” he noted.
He warned against economic isolation and recalled efforts by African leaders in 1963 to establish the East African Federation.
“Some leaders preferred to remain big fish in small ponds. But without integration, our potential is limited,” Museveni said.
The President also called on young people to steer away from distractions and focus on transformative leadership.
“Wake up. Stop spending too much time on unproductive things. Let’s work on expanding our markets and solving real problems,” he urged.
Mr. Masesa Demiano, Executive Director of the Guild Presidents Leadership Academy, said the summit aims to nurture young leaders by connecting them with seasoned statesmen.
“This was our second summit. We brought together delegates from universities across East Africa. Our goal is to make this an annual gathering of transformative leaders,” he said.
Masesa added that the Academy, currently hosted at Makerere University, provides leadership training and mentorship to student leaders.
“We’re still in our early stages. We rent space at Makerere University, where we engage students in leadership development,” he explained.
