By Aggrey Baba
Responding to questions from Mulengera News’ Aggrey Baba during a press conference at the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) headquarters in Kampala on Monday, UPC President Jimmy Akena distanced himself from his longtime political rival Olara Otunnu, saying his battle was never about personalities but about saving the party from political extinction.
Akena was responding to questions prompted by the latest political twist in Uganda, where President Yoweri Museveni has thrown his government’s full weight behind Otunnu’s bid to become the next United Nations Secretary-General (SG), at a time when his (Akena) relationship with the ruling establishment appears to be strained. The endorsement has stunned many political observers because Otunnu spent years as one of Museveni’s fiercest critics after returning from the UN to revive UPC before challenging the President in the 2011 General Election.
Against that backdrop, our reporter asked Akena whether he now felt vindicated for leading the campaign that removed Otunnu from the UPC presidency in 2015 after accusing him of steering the party away from its interests. He was also asked whether he believed Museveni now stood to benefit politically from his renewed association with Otunnu and some leaders claiming to represent UPC.
Instead of attacking his predecessor, Akena took journalists back to 2010 when he first challenged Otunnu for the UPC presidency, recalling losing to Otunnu during a delegates’ conference at Namboole but immediately conceding defeat and promising supporters that he would spend the next five years rebuilding the party from the grassroots before returning to seek another mandate in 2015.
“I conceded that I had lost the election. I told delegates I would go to the grassroots, mobilize and return after five years,” Akena recalled.
According to him, he kept that promise by returning in 2015 with what he called a clear vision for preserving UPC’s identity at a time when the party was deeply divided over its future political direction.
He explained that while some leaders wanted the party to pursue different political arrangements, he believed UPC needed to preserve its independence if it was to remain relevant in Uganda’s politics.
Akena said he has nothing to do with Dr. Olara Otunnu, insisting that it was UPC delegates (not himself) who ultimately determined the party’s leadership.
Otunnu, a respected international diplomat who served as Uganda’s Foreign Affairs Minister before rising to become a United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, returned home in 2010 amid high expectations after defeating Akena for the UPC presidency. Many supporters believed his international profile would restore the fortunes of the once-powerful party.
Instead, his tenure became consumed by internal wrangles, court battles and leadership disputes that split UPC into rival factions. The disagreements culminated in the 2015 delegates’ conference where Akena’s camp wrested control of the party leadership. Otunnu rejected the process, insisting his removal violated the party constitution, while the former first son’s supporters maintained they had rescued UPC from political collapse.
The old rivalry has now resurfaced after Museveni’s government nominated and endorsed Otunnu for the UN’s top job, a development described by many as one of the most unexpected political turns in recent years given the decades-long differences between the two leaders.
Without commenting directly on Museveni’s endorsement, Akena instead argued that Uganda’s biggest political challenges go far beyond personalities.
“You see, in 2015 we were playing a different game. At that time we were fighting not to be wiped off the political map,” he said.
The UPC top leader argued that his leadership had since restored UPC’s parliamentary representation and positioned the party to play a more influential role in shaping Uganda’s future. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
