By George Bukenya
The President of Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), Jimmy Akena Obote has announced his intentions to challenge for the presidential seat come 2026 general elections.
While addressing reporters on Wednesday 18th 2024 at his Party Headquarters in Kampala he accused government for failing to tackle the social-economic problems that are affecting the Citizens of Uganda yet a lot of tax revenue is being collected.
The Lira Municipality Member of Parliament urged government to urgently overhaul the country’s education system to address the challenges affect the youth population for instance the escalating under and unemployment problem and absolute poverty levels.
“ The poor service delivery by the current government has prompted us to come and offer ourselves for the highest office in the country such that we can be able to retore the proper wayn of extending serves need by the citizens. We actually commenced after the Electoral Commission announced its 2025/2026 road map and this has yielded results as you can see from the by-elections
Akena also stressed the need for education model that combines both theoretical and practical aspects of learning with a major focus on vocational training some he says will help to significantly curb on the high levels of unemployment in the country.
“ The current Youths Unemployment in our country is to a large extent caused by our eduction system and government hasn’t done enough to enhance it and even the budget allocate to the education sector is still very small if you compare it with that of other countries in Suba-Saharan African,’’ Akena said.
He added: “government allocates only UGX 20,000 for every UPE and USE learner per annum yet countries like Rwanda with a small economy allocate at least US $ 5O (UGX 185,500) while South Africa allocate US % 1,500 per learner per annum.’’ He compared.
Referring to the recently released population and housing statistics, Akena highlighted that Uganda has one of the youngest populations in the world. While this youth bulge offers significant potential for the country’s economic growth, it’s from this back ground, he warned that unless the education system is revolutionized, the nation risks squandering this valuable resource.
The legislator and former first son also criticized the current funding model for Uganda’s Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE) programs. He pointed out that the government’s per-pupil funding of Ugx 20,000 annually for UPE and slightly higher for USE is insufficient, creating a system that churns out graduates ill-equipped to compete in a globalized economy.
“These programs are not creating global citizens but rather local graduates who are unprepared for an increasingly competitive international market,” Akena remarked.
In addition to his education reform proposals, Akena expressed deep concerns about the commercialization of politics in Uganda, particularly ahead of the 2026 general elections. He noted that the rising influence of money in the political arena has made campaigns prohibitively expensive, effectively shutting out candidates who lack financial resources.
“This growing commercialization is undermining the democratic process and making it harder for ordinary Ugandans to engage meaningfully in politics,” Akena stated. “Politics should not be about who can spend the most money but about who has the best ideas and solutions for the people.”
As a prospective candidate for the 2026 presidency, Akena warned that unless urgent reforms are made, the integrity of Uganda’s electoral process could be further compromised. He called for a collective effort from the government, the Electoral Commission, and civil society organizations to ensure that the upcoming elections are free, fair, and transparent.
“The future of Uganda’s democracy depends on the ability of all citizens to participate in the political process, regardless of their financial status,” Akena concluded.
With less than two years to the 2026 elections, both Akena’s education reform proposals and his warnings about the influence of money in politics will likely become central issues in the national politAs a prospective candidate for the 2026 presidency, Akena warned that unless urgent reforms are made, the integrity of Uganda’s electoral process could be further compromised. He called for a collective effort from the government, the Electoral Commission, and civil society organizations to ensure that the upcoming elections are free, fair, and transparent.
“The future of Uganda’s democracy depends on the ability of all citizens to participate in the political process, regardless of their financial status,” Akena concluded.
With less than two years to the 2026 elections, both Akena’s education reform proposals and his warnings about the influence of money in politics will likely become central issues in the national political discourse discourse.