Dokolo, Uganda – Dennis Enap Adim, a youthful politician from Dokolo District, has officially picked nomination forms to contest for the presidency of the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), pledging to strengthen the party’s grassroots presence and restore unity among its members.
Enap, 40, expressed concern that despite UPC’s historical influence in the Lango sub-region, the party has significantly lost ground both locally and nationally. He pointed out that out of the 31 Members of Parliament representing Lango, UPC holds only 10 seats. Nationally, the party has just 10 MPs out of 529, a number he says demonstrates the party’s weakened state.
“Many people think UPC is strong in Lango, but the numbers don’t support that belief,” Enap said. “We need leadership that connects with the grassroots, and that’s why I have come out to lead the party.”
Citing the 2021 general elections in Lira District as a key example, Enap highlighted a mismatch between the number of UPC structures on paper and the actual votes garnered. According to him, Lira District has 2,247 villages, with UPC claiming 14 members per village—amounting to a theoretical total of over 31,000 supporters. Yet, UPC’s candidate in the 2021 parliamentary race, Margaret Ateng Otim, secured only 18,716 votes, losing to Agness Linda Auma who garnered 22,080.
“Had our members simply voted for their own candidate, Ateng would have gotten over 25,000 votes and would be in Parliament today,” Enap lamented.
He also noted that in both Lira District and Lira City, UPC holds only two out of six parliamentary seats—occupied by Jonathan Odur and Jimmy Akena—while the National Resistance Movement (NRM) holds two, and the remaining two independents are NRM-leaning.
“The local council levels tell the same story. Outside of Lira and Apac, UPC is nearly invisible in the Lango sub-region, where NRM continues to dominate,” he added.
In addition to grassroots mobilization, Enap pledged to address internal divisions within UPC, which he says have led to multiple factions. “We can’t have a UPC for Akena, another for Joseph Otyeno, another for Olara Otunnu, and one for Enap Adim. That disunity is destroying us,” he said. “My mission is to unite all members under one party.”
Enap’s declaration sets the stage for a high-stakes contest against incumbent UPC President Jimmy Akena, the son of party founder Dr. Apollo Milton Obote. The race is expected to define the future of one of Uganda’s oldest political parties.
