Sport, Youth and Child Development Minister, Kenneth Chipungu has urged the Food Reseve Agency (FRA) to look for alternative storage sheds in Serenje and let the Council Hall be given back to youths as a recreation centre.
Speasking in Serenje last weekend, Mr. Chipungu said it was unfortunate that youths in the district were denied recreation by the council who rented the Council Hall to the FRA to use as storage sheds.
Mr. chipungu said the council should get back the Hall and let the youths use it to meet and share ideas including playing indoor games such as badminton, chess, pool, tennis and other games to keep them busy.
He said FRA should in fact build their own sheds in the district this year so that they should not depend on the hall.
Mr. chipungu who inspected the Hall and ball game playing fields in Serenje, said government was working hard to make sport be at the center stage because many youths were getting spoiled by engaging in bad habits such as beer drinking and illicit sex because they did not have recreation facilities.
He also expressed sadness that the council and FRA had neglected the Hall by not paying attention to the falling ceiling boards.
“I am not happy with this arrangement FRA should immediately find its own sheds and leave this to the youths. We can find some donor to fund for the renovation of this building so that it can become a good reading and recreation facility for youth,” he said.
Mr. Chipungu also challenged business houses in the district to work with sport organizers and ensure sport activities were supported financially.
He said government was concerned about the number of youths leaving school every year and do nothing.
“There are over 300 youths come out of school every year and only 40 percent find chance to get places in colleges while the rest are left out. These are the ones we want to carter for so that they also have something to do,” he said.
Mr. Chipungu also challenged the youths to take advantage of the Citizen Economic Empowerment Fund (CEEF) and apply for the fund to enable them engage in business ventures.
This is the reason why young people indulge in all sorts of wrong doings e.g. unwanted pregnancies. What do you expect when their recreation premises are being misused for food storage?
And then you blame youth when they are deliquent
but zoona how can the use olofeya ( Welfare) as storage? KK left alot of silos use them or chnage your name from FRA to Namboard.
(they use)