Drama as UPC’s Akena, Ochieno pick forms for presidency

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There was drama at the Electoral Commission headquarters in Kampala on Friday (August 15) when Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) party leader Jimmy Akena’s representative, and his arch-rival Joseph Ochieno, picked presidential nomination forms for the 2026 general election.

Ochieno is one of the protagonists in the protracted and bitter three-way fight for the leadership of UPC, one of the oldest parties in the country, founded by former President of Uganda, Dr Milton Obote, father of Akena.

Dr Eunice Apio Otuko, Oyam South MP picks nomination forms on behalf of Jimmy Akena at the Electoral Commission Head office in Kampala on August 15, 2025. (Photo by Juliet Kasirye)

Oyam North MP Eunice Otuko Apio, who picked the forms on behalf of Akena, told reporters that in July this year, the party’s extraordinary delegates conference extended their president’s term of office for 12 months to enable him and his cabinet to organise internal elections.

“Hon. Akena was last year declared by the delegates conference as the rightful UPC president, and he is the flag-bearer for the party. We don’t have any other candidate,” she said, accusing Othieno of masquerading as the flag-bearer.

The High Court in Kampala had on July 25, 2025, halted the aforementioned UPC delegates conference pending a ruling on the legality of Akena’s presidency.

Joseph Ochieno, UPC presidential candidate addresses journalists after picking nomination forms at the Electoral Commission Head office in Kampala on August 15, 2025. (Photo by Juliet Kasirye)

This followed an application by Ochieno, who contended that the conference would prejudice the leadership dispute.

The High Court had a few days earlier issued an interim order stopping Akena from standing for a third term as the UPC president.

UPC is currently embroiled in a leadership dispute involving Akena, Dennis Enap, and senior Constitutional lawyer Peter Walubiri, each claiming to be the rightful party president.