Africa-Press – Uganda. Joseph Kabuleta, leader of the National Economic Empowerment Dialogue (NEED), has launched a scathing critique of President Museveni’s decades-long rule and the integrity of Uganda’s electoral process, calling for a new leadership direction ahead of the 2026 general elections.
Addressing journalists on Monday, Kabuleta likened Uganda’s electoral environment to a rigged football match where the referee openly supports one side—pointing fingers at what he called a compromised Electoral Commission (EC).
“You can’t expect fairness. After the game, the referee boards the bus with supporters of one team. That’s exactly what happens with the Electoral Commission,” Kabuleta charged.
He claimed the EC functions at the whim of President Museveni, lacking both independence and credibility.
“Museveni appoints, disappoints—he does what he wants. It’s always going to be his Electoral Commission,” Kabuleta said.
Citing the militarized by-election in Teso and reports that the EC had to seek funding from the President ahead of the 2021 polls, Kabuleta questioned the institution’s authority and neutrality.
“How can that even be a fair election when the Commission is literally begging the President for funds just months before polling?” he asked.
Despite what he termed structural obstacles, Kabuleta urged opposition leaders and citizens to stay the course.
“The Electoral Commission is one of the barriers we have to break through. We are ready to fight,” he declared.
He also took direct aim at President Museveni’s legacy, describing it as one of deepening poverty, false hope, and centralized control.
“Museveni has never presented an opportunity for anybody except his immediate family. People now know that meeting him doesn’t change your life for the better—it makes it worse,” Kabuleta said.
He accused the NRM regime of masking failure with short-term handouts and politically choreographed projects that deliver no lasting impact.
“He blocks traffic for people trying to earn a legitimate living just to commission small things like a water tap or market. After 40 years, that’s all there is to show?”
Kabuleta also dismissed talk of a Museveni family political dynasty, saying neither Museveni nor his son, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, should define Uganda’s future.
“There is not going to be a dynasty in this country,” he said firmly.
“That man is not part of the future, neither is his son. They are not the system—they are the burden.”
With NEED’s official registration finalized on June 26 after months of delay, Kabuleta says the party is now focused on mass mobilization, grassroots engagement, and promoting a vision of economic empowerment as an alternative to NRM’s entrenched patronage politics.
“Even while they were debating the process, we knew they would eventually give us a certificate. Nothing whatsoever has stopped us from moving on,” he said.
Kabuleta, who ran for president in 2021, has confirmed he will appear on the ballot again in 2026.
He maintains that growing dissatisfaction with Museveni’s rule is pushing Ugandans to demand authentic change.
“Museveni is yesterday’s news,” Kabuleta said. “It’s time for a new chapter.”
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