Former presidential candidate Joseph Kiiza Kabuleta, has launched National Economic Empowerment Dialogue (NEED) as a political party in Uganda.

Last year, Kabuleta launched NEED as a political organization that would carry an ideology in a bid to take over the leadership of this country. NEED is transitioning from the People’s United Movement (PUM), a political party that was established in October 2005. The party symbol, a cow has since been changed to maize. The party colors have remained black and white.

During the delegate’s conference which was held yesterday at NEED offices in Bugolobi, Kabuleta was elected the party president. He will be deputized by Evelyn Rakel. Kabuleta named Asuman Odaka as the party Secretary General, and Mulangira Juuko Nakibinge as the Secretary of publicity.

According to Kabuleta, in 2020, he was approached by Shadrach Ogemba, the president of PUM who persuaded him to join the party because they had the same ideology, which he did.

Speaking at NEED offices in Bugolobi, Kabuleta said they chose economic empowerment as their creed because it is the truest form of empowerment and we know that our oppressors have built a population that is dependent on them for sustenance and is therefore easy to subjugate.

“One year later we are taking one bold step forward launching NEED as a political party,” Kabuleta said.

 “I know that the love we have for this country is shared by millions of Ugandans. We meet them every day and they express their dismay at the direction the country is taking. But the one thing we do not share with many is the despondency, the sense of resignation that I see in many quarters,” he said.

Kabuleta said them plunders know that their time is up. In public, they speak like they are tightening their grip on power but in private they hope that they can be allowed to retain their loot after Ugandans have reclaimed their country.

“I know there are many people in diverse sectors who choose to hold onto the system and even oil it not because they don’t see its evil but because of an unknown future. They don’t know what it holds for them.”

He said the change that NEED proposes will be to the benefit of everyone. It is not the kind of change that causes disruption, disorder, or that seeks to settle old scores. That is not who we are. We are not vindictive people. In our relentless pursuit of a bright future for all Ugandans, we shall have little time to indulge in the past.

“Some people from the forces; army police and intelligence have intimated to me that they signed up to protect their nation but found themselves serving the interests of one family. We shall give them an opportunity to do exactly what they signed up for with an appreciation, better remuneration and improved working conditions.”

As the Party, Kabuleta said their priority will be the millions of destitute people dispersed across the country. We believe that is possible to empower people and put money in their pockets without giving them handouts.

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Police has summoned the Member of Parliament for Aringa South in Yumbe District, Mr. Yorke Alioni Odria, for assaulting an officer who was on duty at Parliament on Thursday last week during the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) elections.

Fred Enanga, the Uganda Police Spokesperson, said the summons were sent through the Office of the Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament for the Legislator to appear at the CID Headquarters on October 4, 2022 at 10am.

“You all remember very well that the MP, Alioni Odria is alleged to have acted in a disorderly manner at Parliament on the 29th of September, where he attacked and punched a police officer who was on duty, that is ASP Ssenge Alex without any legal justification, causing injury to his right ear, and the side head,” Enanga said.

The MP was allegedly frustrated with the conduct of the elections after some members were granted permission to vote early due to personal reasons.

Odria shouted at the top of his voice and ran towards a police officer whom he later grabbed and punched. “Vote rigging, vote rigging, vote rigging,” Alioni was heard saying before allegedly punching the officer.

“You all witnessed how violently he grabbed the ballot box and took it to the main building in disregard of the parliamentary electoral procedures,” Enanga asserted.

He was however stopped by the OC of Parliament and other officers.

“So, for us, the best way to understand his motive for the unprovoked assault is to listen to him. And the first step also towards justice for the senseless act of violence against the officer is us reducing the statement of the MP into a written statement,” Enanga added.

“Of course, the police management has come out to strongly condemn attacks on police officers. And this continue to highlight some of the dangers that police officers face every day while performing their duties.”

The hotly contested election attracted 28 candidates for the nine seats. The EALA representatives were elected after more than seven hours of campaigning, voting, and tallying during a sitting on Thursday.

The six NRM MPs retained their seats; Rose Akol (422 Votes), James Kakooza (405 votes), Paul Musamali (401 votes), George Odongo (403 votes), Dennis Namara (415 votes) and Mary Mugyenyi (367 votes).

Amongin, former Ngora district Woman MP and one of Uganda’s representatives to the Pan African Parliament, polled 338 votes, while the former Buyende district Woman MP, Kadogo Babirye secured 383 votes. DP’s Gerald Siranda polled 233 votes.

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Burkina Faso’s military leader, who was ousted in a coup on Friday, has formally agreed to step down, religious and community leaders said.

They said the country’s new self-declared leader, Capt Ibrahim Traoré, had accepted Lt Col Paul-Henri Damiba’s resignation and conditions he had set.

The announcement followed attacks on French institutions, after it was reported that Lt Col Damiba was sheltering at a French military base.

Unconfirmed reports say he is in Togo.

Russia and France are engaged in a battle for influence in several former French colonies in West and Central Africa.

Pro-Russian slogans were chanted and Russian flags waved by supporters of the new junta leader Capt Traoré on Sunday.

He regards former colonial power France as an ally of the man he ousted, and has spoken of his willingness to work with new partners to fight Islamist insurgents – and analysts believe that could mean hiring Russian mercenaries.

The head of the Russian mercenary Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has welcomed the takeover.

Burkina Faso controls as little as 60% of its territory, experts say, and Islamist violence is worsening.

The African Union has demanded the return of constitutional order by July 2023 at the latest, agreeing with the regional group Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) that the ousting of leader Lt Col Damiba was “unconstitutional”.

But Ecowas has since praised “the various parties in Burkina Faso for agreeing to a peaceful settlement of their differences”, as days of power struggles came to an end without bloodshed.

No statement has been released by Lt Col Damiba directly.

But religious and community leaders said Lt Col Damiba himself had offered his resignation “in order to avoid confrontations with serious human and material consequences,” according to quotes cited by AFP news agency.

They said Lt Col Damiba had set seven conditions for stepping down – including a guarantee of his security, an agreement to continue with efforts at national reconciliation and a continued respect for the guarantee of returning to civilian rule within two years.

The deposed colonel had himself ousted President Roch Kaboré in January, saying that he had failed to deal with growing militant Islamist violence.

Many citizens in Burkina Faso have not felt safe for some time.

The Islamist insurgency broke out in the country in 2015, leaving thousands dead and forcing an estimated two million people from their homes.

This is Burkina Faso’s ninth coup since independence from France in 1960.

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