Kampala — The 2006 presidential elections campaigns have started with most candidates promising sweeping reforms to improve the country's political, social and economic condition.

Many of the challengers also pointed fingers at incumbent Yoweri Museveni, who said on Thursday that his National Resistance Movement was the only party capable of leading Uganda.

Democratic Party presidential candidate Ssebaana Kizito said on Thursday he would oust Museveni in 2006 because the president had failed to fulfill his social contract with the people despite staying in power for long.

"The man has governed for 20 years and wants more yet nothing has changed," Ssebaana told a rally at Constitutional Square on Thursday. "This is his last term and he must go."

Museveni's second and last constitutional term was supposed to end next year, but with his urging earlier this year, the Movement dominated Parliament amended the Constitution to lift presidential term limits.

Ssebaana promised to fight injustice and discrimination in government organs, to support agriculture, put an end to the war in northern Uganda, fight poverty and provide qualitative education to Ugandans.

"From poverty to prosperity is our slogan," he said. "We shall rejuvenate this country's economic performance."

At the launch of her manifesto, UPC's Miria Obote also criticised Mr Museveni for "personalised governance." She said policy issues in the country now revolved and were pronounced around the person of President Museveni.

Ms Obote said all institutions of the state had lost independence.

"To its credit, the judiciary is waging a relentless struggle to maintain its independence," she said. "We salute them."

The UPC leader also criticised members of parliament whom she accused of being bribed to lift the term lifts and accord President Museveni a life presidency.

She said time had come for Ugandans to reclaim their rights, which they had been denied for 20 years under the ruling Movement.

Obote's UPC platform includes the creation of a "viable democracy"; re-establishing security, law and order; and restoring economic prosperity for all.

The party has also promised to work towards the abolition of the death penalty.

"The Uganda People's Congress believes the death penalty is not a punishment but murder by the state," Secretary General Peter Walubiri said while giving an overview of the manifesto launch in Kampala on Thursday.

Independent candidate Nasser Sebaggala vowed to reinstate the two-term presidential limit within only 48 hours after swearing in.

This is not practically possible, as constitution amendment cannot be effected in a period less than 14 days in which Parliamentary is sitting.

"I have not come in this race just for the sake of it," Sebaggala said on Thursday at a rally in Katwe shortly after his nomination. "Now that I have been duly nominated and cooled your worry about my academic papers, top on the agenda in my manifesto is to reinstate the presidential two term limit."

He said when George Washington, the first president of the United States, who fought for the independence of his country, was asked to stand for a third term, "he declined saying he only wanted to liberate his people but not to become king."

Said Sebaggala: "Museveni who also fought his way to State power and thinks he is the only person with a vision just engineered the removal of the two-term limit."

Sebaggal, who failed to get on the ballot in 2001 after his academic qualifications were challenged, said he was smarter this time. "This time I was as clever as a matatu player who hides his cards until the right time," he said. "Most of the laws concerning the presidential elections in the 7th parliament were targeting me as an individual and if they had seen my papers, they would have found a way of blocking me."

His supporters sang: "Baabalimba nnyo, babalimbanga, hajji atema nnyama, kati katulabe hajji alese empapula" (the public was deceived that Hajji was in the UK working in a butchery, but what will they do now that he presented his academic papers?).

Sebaggala, who introduced the DP's militant Youth Brigade in September last year, appealed to President Museveni to avoid the use of violence in the campaign.

"We intend to stage a peaceful campaign but should President Museveni introduce violence, we are ready to take his people on in defence," he said.

The Forum for Democratic Change, whose leader Besigye remains on remand in Luzira Prison, vowed to go ahead with the presidential campaign even if he remained in detention.

"We are putting together teams and country rally plans," said Organising Secretary Mugish Muntu. "We depend on the strength of the team. We kept on building the party when our leader was in exile for four years. Now there is even more cause. It's a big disadvantage to Museveni; you don't tie your opponent and then tell him let's wrestle. We operate as a team, that's the difference between us and NRM."

JEEMA's Mayanja Kibirige also said his party would support a single candidate agreed on by the opposition parties.

"We are already in talks with the different opposition candidates because we know it's only a united opposition that can defeat president Museveni," he said.

The Conservative Party, which said it would not field a presidential candidate, has already declared that it will stand behind Besigye.

Party leader Ken Lukyamuzi said the decision was an expression of concern and support over the way the ruling Movement had denied Besigye fundamental human rights.

He said supporting Besigye was in line with the G6 position of fielding a single presidential candidate who will be able to defeat Museveni.

But the President told a press conference at State House on Thursday that Besigye and his FDC have no chance of winning the elections.

"Besigye is not going to be elected because his group does not enjoy the support of the people," Museveni said. "The other day you saw them trying to bring back looting."

The president is standing on a platform of "prosperity for all" although he said at a rally at Kololo Airstrip on Thursday that his old "No change, why change, no cause" slogan would also remain in use.

The president has promised to work towards full political federation for East Africa, and to "continue building on the strong base we have so far laid in macro-economic management, infrastructure, and provision of services in all sectors."

The president will be launching his manifesto on December 29. Independent candidate Abed Bwanika, 39, told Daily Monitor yesterday he would start his campaign in Rakai on Tuesday. He said his main message would be on how Uganda can get out of poverty.

"I will centre a lot on development issues," he said.

In particular, Bwanika promised to work towards spending a bigger percentage of the budget on agriculture, making Uganda a global tourist centre, and an international work station. "We are eight hours ahead of the United States and seven hours behind Japan," the biggest economies in the world. "They have work to do. When they go to sleep, we can do their work."

Bwanika, who has a Masters degree in veterinary medicine, is a private consultant. He taught at Makerere University until 2001.