By Mulengera Reporters
Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) has officially declared Mr. Peter Mukidi Walubiri as its duly elected Party President, ending years of bitter leadership wrangles that have divided the party since 2015.
According to documents submitted to the Electoral Commission and signed by party officials, Walubiri was elected on December 4, 2020, through a nationwide process involving 98 districts. He defeated three other contenders (Joseph Ochieno Pinytek, Dr. Dan Okello, and Dr. Dickson Opul) securing 278 votes out of the 593 validly cast, as confirmed by the Party Electoral Commission chaired by Mr. Hamza Sewankambo.
UPC has been embroiled in a leadership crisis since May 2015, when Mr. James Michael Akena, son of former President Milton Obote, claimed the presidency of the party under controversial circumstances.
Party officials accuse Akena of hijacking the nomination process on May 30, 2015, and declaring himself President Elect, a position not recognized by the UPC Constitution.
According to the party’s Secretary General, Hon. Ishaa Otto Amiza, Akena took over the party headquarters by force, reportedly with help from state security, and expelled the sitting leadership led by Amb. Olara Otunnu. He then convened a private “consultative meeting” which he used to validate his claim to the presidency, bypassing constitutional procedures.
This move was later challenged in the High Court, where Justice Yasin Nyanzi in 2015 ruled that Akena’s election was illegal, null and void, and violated the UPC Constitution. Akena’s appeal to the Court of Appeal was heard in 2020, but before a final ruling, the court issued a restraining order stopping him from holding any delegates’ conference.
Following the resignation of Otunnu in 2016, his Vice President, Mr. Joseph Bbosa, assumed the party leadership. Bbosa later appointed Peter Walubiri as his Vice President in 2019. Upon Bbosa’s death on October 1, 2019, Walubiri became the acting Party President in line with Article 14.4(4) of the UPC Constitution.
To end the long-standing conflict, Walubiri’s leadership organized a transparent electoral process in line with party rules and national regulations, supervised by district registrars, with delegates appending signatures in support of their preferred candidates.
Although eight districts did not participate and four others had their results cancelled due to irregularities, the final tally from 98 districts affirmed Walubiri’s victory.
In a letter dated July 2025, UPC asked the Electoral Commission to formally recognize Walubiri’s leadership, in line with multiple court decisions and the outcome of the 2020 internal elections, with the party urging the EC not to engage with what it called “illegal leadership” under Akena and warned against violating standing court orders.
UPC now expects that all nominations of its candidates for any electoral process will bear the endorsement of Secretary General Otto Amiza and other officials working under President Walubiri. They also requested that no public funds or political facilitation be channeled through Akena’s faction.
The party emphasized that the courts have already spoken and that the mandate of the UPC members must be respected.
“We urge the Electoral Commission and all government agencies to honour the decisions of the judiciary and work only with the lawful leadership,” said Hon. Otto Amiza.
UPC now hopes to move forward in preparation for future elections, under what it describes as a legitimate and democratically elected leadership. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
