Kampala, Uganda | The Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) is once again gripped by internal turmoil after party president Jimmy Akena dismissed three members of the party’s Electoral Commission for allegedly overstepping their mandate and unlawfully declaring a new party president.
The officials Jack Kabuusu (Vice Chairperson), Magere Emmanuel Were, and Naume Natukunda are said to have written to the national Electoral Commission on July 21, informing it that Kampala-based lawyer Dennis Adim Enap had been elected unopposed as the UPC president for the 2025-2030 term.
The trio cited a May 18 High Court ruling, which they interpreted as an instruction for the party to conduct fresh presidential elections.
However, the party leadership has dismissed their actions as irregular, unconstitutional, and without the endorsement of the party’s National Council the supreme policy-making organ of UPC.
UPC insiders say the declaration is considered null and void because no such election took place within the official party structures.
They added that the individuals acted without any legal or procedural authority and therefore violated the party’s constitution.
Disciplinary measures are now being prepared against the three officials, whom the party accuses of gross misconduct and bringing UPC into disrepute.
In a letter dated July 20, 2025, UPC Electoral Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Kazimbiraine stated that Dennis Adim Enap had been disqualified from the race for grossly violating the party’s electoral roadmap, internal guidelines, and constitutional provisions.
The controversy stems from a court ruling in which Adim successfully challenged Jimmy Akena’s nomination as UPC presidential candidate for the 2025–2030 term.
The High Court found Akena’s nomination to be illegal, null and void, and barred him from further participation in the party’s presidential election process.
Despite this, the UPC leadership maintains that the party’s official electoral roadmap remains valid and that no person or group has the authority to declare leadership changes outside the established legal framework.
Efforts to reach the dismissed officials and Dennis Adim Enap for comment were unsuccessful by the time of publication.
The unfolding drama has further exposed deep factional divisions within UPC, casting uncertainty over the party’s stability ahead of the 2026 general elections.