NATIONAL
As Uganda prepares to celebrate its 63rd Independence anniversary tomorrow, October 9, at Kololo Independence Grounds, the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) has accused the government and the Electoral Commission of betraying the ideals of independence by blocking opposition candidates and selling off state enterprises.
The Electoral Commission (EC) recently for blocking the party from fielding a presidential candidate in the forthcoming general elections over internal conflicts, but the party insists the decision is a betrayal of the ideals that inspired Uganda’s independence.
Addressing a press conference in Kampala, UPC spokesperson Sharon Oyat Arach said the EC’s refusal to nominate their presidential flag bearer was “unfortunate, unfair, and a direct attack on the independence spirit.”
“This kind of refusal and blocking candidates from getting nominated for the presidential race, which affected many, is very unfortunate, disturbing, and undermines the true spirit of our struggle for independence,” Oyat said.
She argued that the EC’s decision contravenes the resolution of the party’s National Council, which had resolved to front a presidential candidate as part of UPC’s constitutional mandate.
“We need a presidential candidate. The National Council directed us to have one, and that decision must be respected,” she emphasized.
Oyat described the development as a national tragedy, saying it signals a regression from the principles of democracy and freedom that UPC fought for during the independence struggle.
Founded in 1960 under Milton Obote, UPC was the political force that led Uganda to independence in 1962. Oyat said it was regrettable that the same country that once celebrated freedom and self-governance was now stifling political competition.
The party also used the press briefing to raise concerns over what it termed “a drift from the independence principles”, citing rising poverty, inequality, and deterioration in key social sectors such as education and health.
UPC faulted the government for failing to address shortages of essential drugs in public health facilities and the declining quality of education.
The party also condemned illegal land evictions and the alleged failure to enforce President Yoweri Museveni’s directive for Balalo herdsmen to vacate northern Uganda.
“The Balalo are moving there more than leaving northern Uganda. So this shows you who is really in charge, because if they are leaving the west and going north, where do they expect the people of northern Uganda to keep their country?” Oyat questioned.
UPC further criticized the privatization of key government parastatals, including those in the tourism sector, arguing that the move has only benefited a few wealthy individuals at the expense of ordinary Ugandans.
“Most of the enterprises that were growing local Ugandans were sold off—not for the benefit of the country but to today’s tycoons, who continue to exploit workers with poor pay,” Oyat added.
The party has since called for the reversal of the EC decision, saying Ugandans deserve a fair and inclusive electoral process that reflects the ideals of freedom, equality, and justice upon which the nation was founded.
