About

Party History

The Union pour la Reconstruction du Congo or Union for the Rebuilding of Congo (UREC) was established in March 2005, and registered as a political party with the Ministry of the Interior of the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in November 2005. The party was founded following the initiative of Dr. Oscar Kashala and ten other Congolese fellows. They firmly believed that DRC was heading towards national development blunders, unending crises and chaos unless a more responsible, competent and accountable government was established. The name "Union for the Rebuilding of Congo" was selected based on the strong convictions of UREC founders that a strong DRC can only emerge when major “rebuilding” efforts are deployed to forge a strong sense of national “unity” and identity, develop democratic principles and respect of human rights, rebuild security and critical infrastructure, raise the quality of life and comfort of its citizens, and finally forge international trustworthiness and global partnership. Several preparatory meetings were held in March, May and June 2005 in Washington, DC, in Maryland, Massachusetts and Kinshasa to set up party structures, develop a leadership body and adopt rules. At the Massachusetts mini-convention, the new party nominated candidates for national offices. In November 2005 the nominations were confirmed at a national leadership summit in Kinshasa.

In March 2006, UREC formed an alliance with 31 political parties, and participated in the presidential, parliamentary and provincial elections. Professor Oscar Kashala ranked fifth among 33 presidential candidates. Twenty-one candidates of the political platform were elected at the National Parliament. This top performance of UREC in the national elections occurred despite months of intimidation of party members, arrest and deportation of Professor Kashala’s security staff and top advisors, and planned disruption of UREC’s campaign efforts by seizure by the customs of campaign materials, seizure of airplanes and disruption of transportation plans. These disruptions significantly slowed down UREC campaign plans and reduced the duration of the campaign from 30 days allowed by law to only 3 days. Fortunately, the UREC overcame these hurdles and achieved major electoral successes which have moved the party to great prominence in DRC’s politics.

The party structure, rules and agenda can be downloaded from this website by registered members and Friends of UREC.

Our National Leadership

We are a new breed of leaders with a clear vision and rational development plan, compassion and strong determination to eradicate major problems such as poverty, illiteracy and ill-health, violence, insecurity, and excess mortality that are the hallmarks of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We have assembled a team of competent politicians and technocrats who have a proven track record of achievements in various areas of human development. Our core values are based on the recognition that the foundation for building strong nations is visionary, competent leadership. The requirements for the establishment of viable nations are numerous. Chief among these are credibility, drive for excellence, honesty, loyalty, transparency, respect and protection of human rights, and commitment to serve citizens any time, and all the time.

Professor Oscar Kashala is the National President of UREC and possesses exceptional leadership and a strong belief that all Congolese are born equal and are the only true owners of DRC. His arrival on the Congolese political scene has renewed hope in the hearts of millions of his fellow citizens and he is committed to ushering a new in DRC where its people will rise again to become a unified country and respected nation under God. The future of DRC lies within the hands of its true sons and daughters. DRC has suffered gross economic inefficiency and human development failures which have resulted in the deaths of millions of Congolese citizens. The current political leadership has failed to protect the economic, political and cultural interests of DRC citizens. It has engineered a system of political clientelism and banditry, corruption, plundering of national resources, and sale of our land to foreign interests, and criminal negligence that have destroyed our country and its people. Impunity and treason are criminal offences of the worst nature and will not be ignored. We will create the structures for an independent judiciary to enforce the rule of law in the DRC.

Our performance during the Presidential election in 2006 demonstrates the collective will of our people to defeat intimidation, harassment and brutality in the electoral process. Having overcome serious threats and abuse of power by the autocratic leadership of DRC, we pledge to continue fighting for the rebirth of a prosperous and safe DRC. In the new DRC a country that will work harmoniously with its citizens, neighbors and global partners to develop all sectors of the society. We have the drive, competence, and network necessary to re-invent our society. The UREC has planted the first seed. We invite all people of good will to join us in the noble task of rebuilding DRC to ensure the prevalence of fundamental human rights, the rule of law and civil liberties.

Our Party Rules

The Party Rules are embodied in UREC Réglement d’Ordre Intérieur, a set of provisions that enshrine the policies and regulations of the party vis-a-vis party member’s personal character, and applicable sanctions.

Our Mission and Vision

Under the leadership of its Congress, the UREC is planning a Party convention where all registered party members nominate the presidential candidate and elect Party candidates to other elections (national, provincial assemblies, gubernatorial and mayoral elections, etc.). The Congress will gather information from Party Committees to develop high level strategic and operational plans, including campaign strategy, logistics and financial support. Through its Executive Committee, UREC reaches out to national, provincial, and local party organizations, and liaise with its constituencies to respond to the needs and views of UREC and the nation.

Our Mission and Vision is embodied in The Kashala 8-Point Plan for a New Congo

• Creating a Genuine Ownership Society: We will put the future of the Congo where it belongs; in the hands of the Congolese people. We will return the ownership of our country’s vast natural resources directly to the people The wealth of our country belongs to our people
  
  
• Monetizing Our Assets: We will pay for the rebuilding of the New Congo by giving every Congolese citizen a share in the future of our country.  By monetizing the assets of our country and giving each citizen a share of those assets, we will ensure the creation of equitable distribution of wealth to benefit the people of the New Congo.
  
  
• Putting Our People First: The health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the Congo is the first priority of the government.
  
  
  • We pledge to renew our health care system and deliver quality services to every city, town and village of the New Congo.
    
    We will demonstrate our commitment to ensuring the safety of our people by reforming and rebuilding the army and police forces. Our army will be professional and we will build an officer corps equipped with the expertise required to train army personnel throughout Africa. The police will be equally professional and will protect the citizens, and not harass them.  We have a new security vision focusing on working with our neighbors and international partners on critical transnational development programs to create a genuinely secure environment that promotes cooperation to resolve conflicts and prevent wars.
    
    Recognizing that children are the future of the new Congo, we will investing in the education system so every child in the Congo can go to school for free.  An important part of this goal is closing the gender gap to end all forms of discrimination and violence against women in the domestic sphere and work force. We are confident that we have the tools needed to create and sustain one of the most competitive education systems in the world.
    
    
• Recreating the Congolese Work Force: Job creation and economic development is another major priority in the DRC. We strive to enact legislation aimed at safeguarding workers rights to organize freely within unions without fear of harassment, intimidation or brutality. All foreign companies and organizations working in the Congo will be required to employ and train the Congolese people to do the jobs of today and the future. Doing business in the Congo means real jobs for our people and the New Congo will become the economic engine of Africa.
  
  
• Rebuilding Our Infrastructure: We will harness our country’s wealth to rebuild our infrastructure and bring our nation into the modern world with the completion of a number of key projects
  
  
  • Light in the New Congo: The first project in the building of the New Congo will be the construction of hydroelectric power plants, and  harnessing clean energy to create our own power and bring light to the smallest villages and rest of Africa.
    
    
  • Clean Water: Healthy Children: Our second project will be the creation of water purification and distribution systems, as well as a waste management system.  We predict that providing clean water to our citizens will reduce the DRC’s infant mortality (the highest in the world) by 30% overnight.  From birth, more children will benefit  from access to clean water in the New Congo.
    
    
  • All Roads lead to the New Congo: Our roads and bridges have fallen apart because of many years of neglect. A perquisite for a thriving economy is a strong infrastructure with modern roads, airports and ports. We will build that infrastructure and  promote trade and travel along our new roadways to make the New Congo accessible to all our people and international friends.
    
    
• Economic Power in the New Congo: Within 12 months of our taking office, we will move from being a debtor nation to being a creditor nation.  The New Congo will not rely on the charity of the international community. The New Congo will extend the hand of Congolese charity and friendship to its neighbors around the world.  We will empower our people by bringing in genuine investors, and protecting their investments with our laws and a strong national security environment.
  
  
• The World Will Trade in the New Congo:  Under the UREC government the DRC will be the commodity training center for Africa and the world.  Money and capital will flow to the DRC because we will create a modern banking system that is competitive and transparent. The Congolese people will have direct access to free trade markets to sell their goods at competitive rates and create more opportunity.
   
• Ensuring Democracy for Future Generations: The UREC will foster genuine democracy in the New Congo and empower our people through democratic reforms including free and fair elections while restoring human rights.

Read more the Kashala Blueprint for a New Congo at our Agenda Page.

About Dr. Kashala

Oscar Kashala is a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and is the National President of the Union for the Rebuilding of Congo or Union pour la Reconstruction du Congo (UREC), a political party registered with the DRC Government. UREC participated in the 2006 Elections in the DRC, and its President, Oscar Kashala was largely recognized as the most charismatic and inspirational national leader to take part in the elections.  His candidacy was viewed by the Congolese people as a sign of change from the corrupt and exploitative practices long associated with the DRC political process. Oscar Kashala’s campaign revolved around such themes as: citizen’s ownership of their country and its vast resources; accountable, compassionate and competent leadership; education, health, and economic opportunities for all; and the forging of peace and security inside Congo and credibility and effective partnership abroad.  UREC’s message of hope and its detailed plans for improving the country resonated very well with most Congolese.

Oscar Kashala’s popularity in Congo was on display on July 16, 2006, at a campaign event that filled all of the seats in the 20th of May Stadium in Kinshasa for the first time since the historic boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in 1974. Oscar Kashala’s noninvolvement in the country's politically motivated violent past (candidate with clean hands or “Maboko Pembe”) and expertise gained from time spent at internationally renowned academic and professional organizations provided him with the analytic perspective necessary to offer viable national policies aimed at giving the Congolese people a fresh start. His political success in the 2006 elections prompted a brutal repression of his campaign and non-stop harassment by the DRC President and his allies.  In spite of government intimidation tactics such as, the arbitrary arrest of UREC members, the confiscation of campaign materials, and the restriction of his campaigning to 3 days instead of the 30 days allowed by law, Oscar Kashala ranked among the top 5 candidates out of 35 registered individuals vying for the office of the President of DRC. Today, UREC is perceived as the most credible opposition party in DRC.  Its political activities are rapidly expanding both inside DRC and abroad, and the Party has made significant progress in its efforts to unite Congolese from the Diaspora.

For many years, Oscar Kashala has worked tirelessly, with partners from academia, non-government organizations and the corporate world, to alleviate the plight of the Congolese people.  In 1987, Dr. Kashala received a gift of equipment from Abbott Laboratories which he promptly donated to GECAMINES, which at the time was the most important Congolese mining company. This donation provided DRC, for the first time in its history, with state-of-the art diagnostic tools for the most common and deadly infections, and some of the deadliest cancers in the country.  He later worked with Harvard University to establish modern research programs in the area of HIV/AIDS in DRC.  In 2004, Oscar Kashala was asked by the Government of DRC to bring his expertise to Congo and serve in an official capacity as Adviser to the Government on a Plan aimed at resolving the development crisis in DRC.  Following consultations with key policymakers and opinion leaders, Dr. Kashala and his team identified serious impediments to development and drafted a proposal to improve national security with the assistance of retired US military personnel. Incredulously, DRC’s President and his government did not recognize the critical function that a security plan would have served for the country, and failed to genuinely engage the team that offered to develop a plan to secure the nation.  In recent years, Oscar Kashala has met with several members of the US Government, NGOs, the European Union, several European governments and parliaments in an effort to resolve the political, security and socioeconomic crisis in DRC.

The foundation for Oscar Kashala’s extraordinary success can be found in his core message of hope, compassion and responsible leadership: “That we all are destined for greatness when we care for and love each other.  Our world is small, and life on earth short. We all are born with a sense of purpose; that is to help those who are the most vulnerable, the most unfortunate, and the most destitute.  Accomplishing our life’s purpose will ensure we leave behind incontrovertible footprints, the hallmark of our collective efforts and personal leadership that made it possible for a child, a woman, a man to move away from the trap of poverty and despair. Only by acting so shall our life have a meaning. This truth is self-evident and applies to all of us, including those fortunate enough to be in the seat of power”.

Oscar Kashala was born on August 4, 1954, in Lubumbashi, Katanga, from Congolese parents. Son of a retired military sergeant in the Force Publique, the Congolese Army under Belgian colonization, Oscar Kashala was raised in an environment that focused on strict discipline, Christian faith, hard work, excellence in education and family values. He excelled as a student and as a boy scout. 

Oscar Kashala graduated from Kinshasa University Medical School in 1980 with honors, and trained in internal medicine and pathology at the University of Kinshasa, then at the University of Lausanne and University of Geneva Medical Schools.  In 1986, the World Health Organization (WHO/AFRO) awarded him a fellowship for medical oncology in Boston. Then he obtained a fellowship in cancer biology at Harvard University, Boston.  This was followed by admission into a doctoral program in cancer biology and immunology in a combined degree program (Harvard University and Massachusetts Institutes of Technology). He received a Doctor of Science degree from Harvard University in 1992.  Oscar Kashala is an internationally recognized cancer specialist who has worked in the pharmaceutical industry where he currently hold a senior position, and is a faculty member at several universities in DRC and in the US.  He is the recipient of numerous international and national prizes and awards.  He has served on an advisory capacity to several international institutions, including the World Health Organization.  He entered politics in DRC in 2005. 

Oscar Kashala is happily married to Prudence Kashala.  They have raised a family of 8 children.

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