By Is Moses Matovu sabotaging the National Economic Empowerment Dialogue (NEED) party from within?
That is the question many members of the embattled opposition party are now asking, following controversial pictures of Matovu donned in seemingly a DP T-shirt appearing at theJune 2025 Democratic Party (DP) delegates’ conference, where he was reportedly seen lining up in support of Bukoto Central MP Richard Sebamala (although later disqualified) a direct challenger to DP President Nobert Mao.
Matovu currently serves as NEED’s spokesperson, a position given to him by party president Joseph Kabuleta. However, his involvement in the internal electoral process of another party has sparked outrage among NEED insiders, who argue that such actions should automatically disqualify him from holding office in NEED.
“There is mounting concern that Matovu, backed by Democratic Front leader Mathias Mpuuga, is working to destabilize NEED from within,” a senior NEED official told this publication. According to party sources, the fallout between Kabuleta and Mpuuga earlier this year followed allegations that their short-lived coalition, the Democratic Alliance, was receiving questionable funding from undisclosed sources.
Matovu has also come under fire for his public criticism of Kabuleta, raising eyebrows within the party’s leadership. According to NEED’s constitution — inherited from the People’s United Movement (PUM), only the party president can convene a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting. Yet it was from such a questionably convened NEC that a statement emerged announcing Kabuleta’s suspension, a move dismissed by Kabuleta’s camp as unconstitutional and invalid.
In the same constitution, the party president is recognized as the official spokesperson and is mandated to delegate that role, which he did when he appointed Matovu. Now, critics say Matovu has turned against the very authority that empowered him.
The controversial statement announcing Kabuleta’s suspension was described by party loyalists as “shambolic,” marred by grammatical errors and lacking the structure and tone expected of an official communication.
“It is not just betrayal — it’s political prostitution,” said one visibly frustrated NEED youth leader, pointing to video footage and photographs allegedly showing Matovu’s participation in the DP conference.
There are also unverified claims that Matovu and his allies had hatched a plan to sell the NEED party platform to Sebamala following his defeat in DP, providing him with an alternative party to pursue a presidential bid in 2026.
Matovu has yet to publicly respond to these accusations, but as the cracks in NEED deepen, many now question whether the party’s biggest threat is not from outside forces but from within its ranks.
