The National Economic Empowerment Dialogue (NEED), a party founded by former presidential candidate Joseph Kabuleta, has joined eight other political parties in a coalition backing President Yoweri Museveni’s reelection bid in 2026.
The development comes amid ongoing infighting and internal divisions within NEED that have plagued the party since its formation.
Kabuleta, who launched the party in 2022 after his unsuccessful 2021 presidential bid, was twice suspended by factions within the party over allegations of authoritarian leadership and financial mismanagement.
He later retaliated by suspending several top officials whom he accused of colluding with rival political formations.
The turmoil left the party fragmented, and Kabuleta himself failed to secure nomination to contest again in the upcoming presidential elections — a setback that has since weakened his influence within the movement he once led.
On Wednesday evening, representatives from NEED joined leaders from eight other parties in a meeting with Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja at her office in Kampala, where they formally declared their support for President Museveni’s re-election campaign.
The coalition includes the Republic Women and Youth Party, Liberal Democratic Transparency (LDT), Revolutionary People’s Party (RPP), and the Congress Service Volunteers Organisation (COSEVO), among others.
The alliance is chaired by Godfrey Kiwanda Ssuubi, who also heads the National Consultative Forum — a constitutional body bringing together all registered political parties.
Speaking at the event, Stella Bbira Nambuya of the Republic Women and Youth Party said the coalition was exercising its constitutional right to form alliances and had chosen to back President Museveni in recognition of his contribution to Uganda’s development.
Prime Minister Nabbanja welcomed the move, saying it demonstrated growing political maturity and unity among Ugandan parties in pursuit of national development.
The coalition’s endorsement adds a new twist to Uganda’s evolving 2026 political landscape, with NEED’s alignment marking a striking turnaround for a party that once positioned itself as part of the opposition pushing for new leadership.
