Partners or Opponents? Mao, Akena Remarks Fuel Questions Over DP, UPC’s Ties to M7

By Aggrey Baba

DP’s Norbert Mao and UPC’s Jimmy Akena are facing public backlash after recently making  statements that left supporters questioning whether Uganda’s oldest opposition parties are slowly drifting into the orbit of the ruling NRM.

Veteran journalist John Kakande, in the December 13, 2025 Weekend vision column said that the recent remarks by the two party leaders, though sometimes sounding funny, have opened deep cracks that expose the delicate state of both the Democratic Party (DP) and the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC).

Kakande argues that Mao and Akena are behaving like generals shouting orders from shrinking camps, at a time when their armies are thinning and loyalty is no longer guaranteed.
Akena, the embattled UPC president, is at the centre of the storm after failing to secure nomination as a presidential candidate in the upcoming general election, a setback caused by internal wrangles that have torn the once powerful party into rival camps.

His loss followed a court ruling that recognised Denis Enap Adim (once his personal assistant) as the legitimate party president, effectively pulling the rug from under his feet.

In response, Akena has repeatedly accused President Museveni (NRM) of frustrating his nomination, a claim the veteran journalist says raises more questions than answers. He notes that Akena has not explained whether the alleged interference was through the courts or the Electoral Commission (EC), institutions that are constitutionally independent.

What makes the situation more suspicious, Kakande observes, is that both Akena and his rival Enap Adim are accusing each other of links to the State, turning UPC into a house where each side claims the other is carrying a match box near a grass thatched house.

The controversy is further complicated by the fact that Akena’s wife, Betty Amongi, is a senior Cabinet minister, and now, Kakande suggests that her appointment didn’t happen in a political vacuum and likely followed a gentleman’s understanding between UPC and the NRM ahead of the 2021 elections, an arrangement that saw UPC supporters in Lango openly back Museveni.

He now wonders whether Akena’s recent claim is a sign that the unspoken deal collapsed, or a calculated attempt to force fresh negotiations with the yellow camp.

More troubling for Akena, Kakande notes, is the visible erosion of his influence in Lango, where several UPC leaders have reportedly broken ranks to support Museveni, while others are backing NRM’s Dr Ruth Aceng against Amongi in the Lira City Woman MP race, signals that the political ground beneath Akena may be slipping.

On the DP side, Kakande turns his lens to Justice Minister Norbert Mao, whose recent claim that President Museveni asked him to contest for the Laroo-Pece parliamentary seat has unsettled many within his green camp.

Mao has gone further to suggest that Museveni directed the NRM secretary general, Richard Todwong to create a new constituency for him, remarks Kakande describes as politically awkward for the leader of the country’s oldest party (DP).

He notes that Mao’s decision to run in Laroo-Pece is a high-stakes gamble. With multiple candidates already in the race and resistance from NRM leaders in Acholi, Mao’s bid has become a do-or-die contest. A loss, Kakande warns, would not only weaken Mao’s grip on DP but could push him to the political margins.

Yet Kakande argues that even a win would come at a cost, saying that if the Justice minister enters Parliament under circumstances widely perceived to be facilitated by the NRM, the yellow camp would claim the victory, leaving Mao politically dressed in DP colours but walking under the yellow umbrella.

In Kakande’s view, the unfolding drama around Mao and Akena reflects a deeper crisis facing the traditional opposition parties, with leaders speaking loudly while their bases quietly thin out, and parties that once shaped national politics now struggling to prove they still stand on their own feet. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).