From Obote to Obote to...

Outgoing party president, Ms Obote gives presidential hopeful Otunnu a party card last year. Otunnu is the new UPC president.

What you need to know:

In today’s delegates’ conference at Namboole Stadium, Kampala, Obote’s son, James Akena, MP, will seek to inherit the family political jewel from his mother, Miria, who was named UPC leader after her husband’s death against a crowded field of party stalwarts.

Kampala

The Obote family’s 50-year grip on the Uganda People’s Congress will be tested today when supporters meet to elect a new party president. In that half century, UPC led the country to independence from Britain in 1962 and, save for the interruption of the Idi Amin years and the post-Amin transition, ruled until 1985.

In the 25 years since then, many things have changed; Obote fled to exile where he died in 2005; his family returned to the country to dust off its political banners; and the ruling NRM has come to dominate national politics the way UPC once did.

The contestants
In today’s delegates’ conference at Namboole Stadium, Kampala, Obote’s son, James Akena, MP, will seek to inherit the family political jewel from his mother, Miria, who was named UPC leader after her husband’s death against a crowded field of party stalwarts.

Those running against Mr Akena for the top party job include Sospater Akwenyu, Dr Samuel Fredrick Luwero, Joseph Ochieno, Henry Mayega, and Dr Olara Otunnu. An sms circulated to party supporters on Thursday night claiming that Mr Akwenyu, Mr Luwero and Mr Ochieno had quit the race has since been dismissed as false mischief.

Party observers who spoke to this newspaper indicated that the race is likely to be hottest between Mr Akena, who stayed faithfully by his father’s side during the torturous years in exile, and Dr Otunnu, the party’s prodigal son who is trying to shake off long-running questions about his party pedigree.

Otunnu boost
On Tuesday the party’s treasurer, Mr Patrick Mwondha, who unsuccessfully contested for party president during the 2005 national delegates conference, threw in his lot with Dr Otuunu giving the former UN diplomat a last-minute boost. However, Dr Otunnu, who said he hoped the internal “bloodletting” was over for the UPC, has since his return from exile been in the eye of the storm of factionalism that has threatened to rip the party apart.

Dr Otunnu, an Acholi, has been accused, for example, of being part of the largely-Acholi plotters of the 1985 coup that saw Dr Obote, a Langi, kicked out of power for the second time by the army. He has repeatedly denied the accusations while his backers in the party have accused “Obote loyalists” of entrenching dynastic tendencies in one of Uganda’s oldest parties.

The schism in the party took a turn for the worse last year with the attempted firing of several key party leaders by UPC outgoing party president Ms Obote, in what was seen as an attempt to open the door for her son, to take the reins of the party. Those given the boot including legislator Livingstone Okello-Okello formed the core of the movement to return Dr Otunnu from exile.

The delegates’ conference itself may not have taken place today after Mr Akena and four others including Mr Okello-Okello, Mr Peter Mukidi Walubiri, Prof. Patrick Rubaihayo and Eng. Chris Opio lodged a legal petition to block the internal elections alleging that they needed time to campaign.

Few days
However, a decision by the Kampala High Court eased the deadlock leaving hardly a fortnight for the various candidates to reach out to the 800 strong delegates who by this evening will have elected a new leader.

They can’t elect a new leader soon enough to breathe life into the UPC. Although it was able to sponsor Ms Obote for the 2006 presidential election – where her biggest achievement was not the handful of votes she got but becoming the first woman to run for president in Uganda – the UPC is in dire need of a new leader to give it new direction and a sense of purpose.

The Democratic Party, which is the other political dinosaur in the country, has been given a shot in the arm with the election of youthful Norbert Mao, the sitting Gulu District chairman, as its leaders. As the UPC delegates congregate in Namboole today, they will be doing more than electing a new leader – they will be trying to stave off the extinction of their own dinosaur.

Who is who in the race to lead UPC

The national delegates conference of the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) starting today has attracted eight presidential aspirants who will face off in a race that is to be decided in by a secret ballot vote. Over 800 delegates comprising of district, youth and women leaders as well as all the 2005 delegates are entitled to vote. The winner is to be declared the same day.

Jimmy Akena

Mr Jimmy Akena is the Member of Parliament for Lira Municipality. He was born in 1967 to the late President Apollo Milton Obote and the outgoing party president Ms Miria Obote. He holds a General Certificate of Education (GCE) from the University of London. He worked with Agromed Kenya Ltd from 1992 to 1994 and as Country Manager, Agromed Zambia Ltd (1992-1994). He joined Parliament in 2006, replacing Celilia Ogwal and is a Committee member on Natural Resources and Government Assurances committee in the eighth parliament.

Joseph Ocheino
Mr Joseph Ocheino was born in 1964 in Tororo district, eastern Uganda. He attended Nangira Boys School and later Busoga College Mwiri for his secondary education until 1980. He joined Makerere University for a bachelor’s degree in Library and Information Science and later attained a Masters Degree in Refugee Studies in the University of East London. He is the Uganda Peoples Congress envoy to Ireland and United Kingdom.

Sospater Akwenyu
Mr Joseph Ocheino was born in 1964 in Tororo district, eastern Uganda. He attended Nangira Boys School and later Busoga College Mwiri for his secondary education until 1980. He joined Makerere University for a bachelor’s degree in Library and Information Science and later attained a Masters Degree in Refugee Studies in the University of East London. He is the Uganda Peoples Congress envoy to Ireland and United Kingdom.

Sospater Akwenyu
Born in 1947 in Kaberamaido district. He finished his primary education at Okilo Primary school in1961 and later Soroti Junior School for his secondary education. He holds a diploma from the international school of medical studies in Toronto, Canada. He holds other qualifications in marketing. He is the current Chief Executive Director, Mbuya Apil College.

Henry Mayega
He is 44 years old, born in Luwero District. He received his early education at Nakasongola Primary and later Ndejje Secondary Schools respectively. He sat for his “A” Level examinations at Makerere High School. He holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from Makerere University. Mr Mayega is currently working as an administrator at Makerere University.