The President of the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) party, Jimmy Akena, has pledged to expose the weaknesses that have engulfed the ruling party, the National Resistance Movement (NRM), as he charts a way to a better future for Ugandans, come 2026 campaigns.
According to Akena, the NRM has been touted as the one that brought about economic development in the country. However, some economic policies that have scored a slight growth in Uganda’s economy were inherited from Obote’s government.
“NRM are positing themselves as the ones who brought about economic development by embracing the market economy. I can call outright misrepresentation of the facts on the history of Uganda. The truth of the matter is that when NRM took power, they did not have an economic policy. They attempted dealing with things like barter trade, and it went around on various plans and programs that did not work at all,” Akena said.
While addressing the members of the press during a press conference held on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, at UPC party headquarters at Uganda House in Kampala, Akena highlighted the challenges with the Ugandan education system, stating that it does not help learners to solve the contemporary challenges they face.
“Many people are finishing primary and secondary education, but our education system is no longer preparing our children to meet the challenges that they face in this Uganda of today. Parents are struggling right now to educate their children; they’re losing everything in the process,” Akena said.
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He added that the economy of Uganda is supposed to benefit the citizens of Uganda, not the citizens to benefit the economy.
“We are talking about fish exports, but around the fishing communities, people are malnourished because people can no longer afford the cheapest protein, which is fish. The fish is now for export, not for the children of Uganda,” Akena said.
“And I wanted to make it clear that 2026 is not going to be business as usual. 2026 is going to be a serious conversation about the future of the citizens of Uganda. What benefits them? How can we raise the standards? How can we improve on what was done?” he added.
On September 2, 2024, Jimmy Akena announced his intention to run for the presidency in the 2026 general elections. His pronouncement marked the end of a 15-year electoral cycle without UPC’s presence on the national presidential ballot paper.
