Akena Blocked From Seeking Third Term As UPC Party President: High Court Declares Nomination Illegal
KAMPALA, UGANDA | July 19, 2025: In a landmark ruling that could significantly reshape the internal politics of one of Uganda’s oldest political parties, the High Court in Kampala has declared the nomination of Hon. Jimmy James Michael Akena for a third term as party president of the Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) illegal, null and void.
The decision was delivered by Justice Bernard Namanya on Thursday, July 18, 2025, following an application for judicial review filed by UPC member Dennis Adim Enap. Enap challenged Akena’s nomination for a third consecutive term, citing a clear breach of the UPC party constitution.
Central to the court’s decision was Article 14.1 (3) of the UPC Constitution, which limits the party president to two five-year terms, with a single exception: if the incumbent becomes President of Uganda during their second term, they may be eligible for a third.
“Akena has already served two full terms, from 2015 to 2020 and from 2020 to 2025,” Justice Namanya ruled, dismissing arguments from the UPC legal team that his first term was nullified by court and therefore should not count.
The judge noted that despite the legal challenges that surrounded Akena’s initial election in 2015, he continued to serve the full five-year term uninterrupted, thereby exhausting the two-term limit allowed under the party’s constitution.
In a decisive move, the court issued an order of certiorari, quashing the decision by UPC to nominate Akena, and granted an injunction restraining the party from nominating him again for the 2025–2030 election cycle.
“The nomination of Hon. Jimmy James Michael Akena for the office of party president of the Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) for the period 2025 to 2030 is illegal and therefore null and void,” the ruling stated.
The ruling is a major victory for internal democracy advocates within UPC and a sharp rebuke to those seeking to extend Akena’s leadership despite constitutional limits.
While Akena’s camp argued that the earlier court rulings had invalidated his 2015–2020 term, Justice Namanya held that the Court of Appeal had already settled the matter, and serving a full term regardless of its legal controversies still counted toward the term limit.
In a bid to promote reconciliation within the embattled party, the judge ordered that each side bears its own legal costs, urging both factions to find common ground and uphold the integrity of UPC’s constitutional framework.
With Akena now legally barred from seeking another term, UPC must quickly reorganize ahead of its ongoing 2025/2026 electoral process. The court decision opens the door for new leadership and could mark a turning point for a party that has for years wrestled with internal divisions.
Analysts say the ruling could also signal a broader judicial shift toward enforcing political party constitutions and upholding democratic norms within Uganda’s multiparty system.
Whether the UPC leadership respects the ruling or seeks another legal route remains to be seen, but for now, the court has spoken and the Akena era at the helm of UPC may be nearing its end.
