NEED NEC expels Kabuleta, declines fronting 2026 presidential candidate

_________________

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the National Economic Empowerment Dialogue (NEED) party has indefinitely suspended former presidential candidate Joseph Kiiza Kabuleta from the party and declared that it will not front a presidential candidate in the forthcoming 2026 general elections.

In a resolution stamped by the NEED NEC on September 19, 2025, pursuant to Article 16 of the NEED party constitution, Kabuleta was found to have misused his powers as party chairperson and president.

With the Electoral Commission’s nomination of presidential candidates starting on Tuesday, September 23, 2024, Kabuleta has yet to submit signatures collected from supporters for his national nomination.

“The party decided to expel you from the party to save its face, credibility and for posterity. This letter serves as an immediate expulsion from NEED, including from your position as national chairperson and party president, following the resolution of the national council meeting held on September 18, 2025 (minute 04/09, resolutions),” a letter signed by secretary general Charles Basajja said.

“Kabuleta is no longer the party president, and a member of the party. We have written to the Electoral Commission and to Kabuleta personally. We do not expect any mistake regarding the representation of NEED in matters concerning the presidential race,” party spokesperson Moses Matovu said.

The decision not to field a presidential candidate comes as part of a broader strategy aligned with other opposition parties such as the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), the Democratic Front (DF), the Democratic Party (DP) and the Uganda Peoples’ Congress (UPC), which have equally resolved not to participate in the presidential contest, Matovu added.

Moses Matovu, the National Economic Empowerment Dialogue (NEED) party spokesperson, addressing the media on why they suspended Kabuleta from office. (Photo by Isaac Nuwagaba)

Kabuleta, who had been party president since 2022, was suspended over allegations of misconduct, abuse of office and financial irregularities. He had earlier been serving a 90-day suspension before the NEC decision was finalised.

Despite the suspension, Kabuleta, who ran for president in 2021, confirmed his intention to contest as NEED’s flag bearer in 2026, saying the NEC lacked the authority to stop him.

Unveiling his official poster to launch his campaign at his office in Kabalagala–Kansanga in Makindye Division, Kabuleta dismissed the NEC decision to bar him from standing, describing it as unfounded, malicious and redundant.

“I picked nomination forms, and we are still collecting signatures to be nominated,” he said.

“Under Chapter 5 – President 27, the party president shall be the national chairperson of the NEC, and in this case, Matovu and his group were not the president to expel me from the seat. I am the only one with such powers, the chief executive and party chief spokesperson,” Kabuleta said.

Since the wrangling began, Kabuleta, who has been publicly fundraising to support his presidential campaign, has threatened to contest as an independent candidate, similar to what he did in 2021.

“I did not declare my campaign poster before the media last month for fun. I have been mobilising, and I am soon bringing signatures to the EC for nomination because time is still there,” he insisted.

Running as an independent in the 2021 general elections, Kabuleta polled 45,424 votes (0.44%) against President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s 6,042,898 votes (58.38%), enabling Museveni to extend his leadership of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government since 1986.

Electoral Commission notified of expulsion

According to Electoral Commission spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi, the NEED secretariat submitted its decision for gazetting to the Commission on Monday, September 22, 2025.

“For us, our work is to receive decisions made from the party and update our files. We do not make decisions on party internal matters, but we have been notified of the same,” he confirmed.