UPC rift deepens as MPs accuse Enap of illegal power grab
The development comes four days after Enap, a former personal assistant to incumbent UPC president and former first son Jimmy Akena, reached out to the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), a civic group whose patron is Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the First Son and Chief of Defence Forces.
Dennis Adim Enap reached out to the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), a civic group whose patron is Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the First Son and Chief of Defence Forces. (File)
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Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) lawmakers have denounced one of their own, Dennis Adim Enap, accusing him of attempting to illegally assume party leadership.
The development comes four days after Enap, a former personal assistant to incumbent UPC president and former first son Jimmy Akena, reached out to the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), a civic group whose patron is Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the First Son and Chief of Defence Forces.
However, while addressing the media on Monday, July 20, 2026, at the Leader of Opposition boardroom, Dr Eunice Atuko, the Oyam North Member of Parliament, scoffed at Enap's move.
“Under Article 13 of the UPC constitution, only the incumbent party president (Akena) currently has got the constitutional mandate to convene a delegates conference for the purpose of electing the party leadership. Consequently, any attempt to proclaim, appoint, propose or install party leadership outside the constitutional processes of UPC is unconstitutional, invalid and of no legal effect,” Atuko argued.
The latest dilemma the party finds itself in, began in April last year when the party opened the floodgates for those interested in vying for the UPC presidency. Although three people initially expressed interest, at the end of it all, only the then Lira Municipality lawmaker (Akena) and Enap were cleared to stand for party presidency after parting with a nomination fee of sh20 million.
Shortly after, Enap petitioned the party’s electoral body, challenging the nomination of Akena, who was vying for a third term as UPC president. Enap argued that Akena had exceeded the constitutional two five-year term limit.
The only exception would be where a sitting UPC party president serving his second term wins an election for the office of the President of Uganda. In which case, the party constitution states that such a person would be allowed to contest for a third and final term as a party leader.
After what he described as the party's electoral body developing cold feet, Enap sought redress from the Civil Division of the High Court. During the case, Akena argued that he had only served one term, since his inaugural term (2015–2020) had been nullified by the High Court in a ruling by Justice Yasin Nyanzi issued in a case that had been brought against him by Prof. Edward Kakonge.
However, justice Bernard Namanya in a ruling issued on July 18, 2025, found the grounds to be hollow and quashed Akena’s presidency. However, Akena continued serving as UPC president basing on an order from the Court of Appeal staying the execution of the High Court ruling.
“When the ruling (of Justice Namanya) was made, the party electoral commission sat and resolved that I had been nominated unopposed as party president. That’s how I was declared party president and my name was accordingly forwarded to the National Electoral Commission as the party president of UPC,” Enap stated.
However, Kwania District Woman MP Kenny Auma dismissed the claim, saying such a declaration does not exist.
“He (Enap) has never appeared in any UPC delegates conference. Some of us who are members of parliament don’t even know him. We only saw him on social media claiming that he is a party president of UPC. I want the whole nation to know that the legal president of UPC is Akena, who has been on the frontline campaigning and doing everything for UPC. So, the purported party leader of UPC (Enap), we do not know him and don’t want to associate with him,” Auma fired back.
Maruzi County MP Peter Obong further clarified; "After you being elected by the delegates conference, you go through the process of approval by one-third of the districts of this entire country. In this case, Enap did not complete the due processes of the election of the president of UPC as enshrined in the party constitution."