UPC president Akena apologises to rivals

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Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) party president Jimmy Akena has apologised for ‘going over and above’ in his efforts to push for dialogue among all political parties in the country. The move, he says, angered sections of party members.

The visibly emotional Akena, during UPC's end-of-year briefing on December 17, 2025, said he apologised but did not regret his idea of talking to all political players with the idea of the Inter Party Organisation for Dialogue, a relevant, but failed initiative.

“My loyalty to Uganda is beyond UPC. We need to work together for the greater cause, and talking together is paramount,” he said.

He added that he was ready to push the idea of a joint political conversation as one who can talk to all sides and still be faithful to his party's beliefs.

“I was willing to push this, but I was rudely woken up by somebody remarking, 'Who does he think he is? ” he said.

Akena said he will always be available to support the nation even in the future if called upon to serve Ugandans, alluding to his late father and former President of Uganda, Apollo Milton Obote’s speeches on Independence Day and during the launch of the Common Man’s Charter, in which he called for loyalty towards Uganda being the most important aspect for every Ugandan.

About his initial plans for the elections, Akena said his three-year plan, which was intended to gain a significant portion of the vote to avoid a winner in the first round of the election.

“I wanted to get about 1.5 million votes to affect the national total. This was to ensure that no one gets a 50+ one vote to probably force a re-run,” he remarked.

Spoilt vote

According to Akena, a manifesto is a public document where even other political players can appreciate ideas of other parties and take them on, justifying why he insists on taking part in the election even when not nominated.

“The UPC manifesto has a housing plan targeting Police officers, teachers and other public workers and interest rate solutions, which are better spelt out here than in any other party,” he said.

He urged parties to benchmark with each other and learn aspects that can push them forward.

“If I were in Government and there is a brilliant idea in the Opposition, I would take the idea,” he said.

As the county heads towards the 2026 polls, Akena rallied the various political players to embrace unity and understand that their efforts should be geared towards the bigger cause, which is Uganda.

UPC woes

The leadership battle within UPC is a long-standing conflict between two factions, with one led by Jimmy Akena and the other by constitutional lawyer Peter Walubiri. The conflict has been going on since 2015.