Kampala, July 22, 2025 — The Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) is once again entangled in a fierce internal dispute following a dramatic announcement by a breakaway faction naming lawyer Dennis Adim Enap as the party’s new president, a move that the mainstream leadership has strongly condemned as illegitimate and unconstitutional.
The storm was triggered when three members of the UPC’s Electoral Commission — Jack Kabuusu, Magere Emmanuel Were, and Naume Natukunda — informed the national Electoral Commission in a July 21 letter that Adim had been elected unopposed to lead the party from 2025 to 2030.
The group pointed to a High Court ruling dated May 18, which invalidated Jimmy Akena’s nomination and, according to their interpretation, directed the party to organize fresh elections. Acting on that premise, they claimed Adim was duly elected.
However, the UPC’s official leadership has rubbished the move, branding it a constitutional breach carried out without any approval from the National Council, the party’s highest decision-making organ.
Insiders say that no election process took place within the recognized structures of the party, rendering the announcement null and void.
In a sharp response, Electoral Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Kazimbiraine revealed in a July 20 letter that Adim had already been disqualified from the race for flouting key elements of the party’s electoral roadmap, as well as internal and constitutional guidelines.
Party leadership accuses the trio of acting outside their legal and procedural mandate, and disciplinary action is being prepared against them for what has been described as gross misconduct and tarnishing UPC’s image.
The High Court ruling at the heart of the controversy declared Akena’s nomination illegal and invalid, barring him from continuing in the electoral process. Even so, UPC maintains that the current electoral roadmap remains intact, and no individual or group has the authority to install a party president outside the established legal process.
Efforts to reach both Adim and the implicated Electoral Commission members were unsuccessful by press time.
This latest confrontation has brought to light the growing cracks within UPC’s internal ranks, raising fresh doubts about the party’s unity and preparedness ahead of the crucial 2026 general elections.
