Opposition Uganda Peoples’ Congress (UPC) under the leadership of Lira Municipality Member of Parliament (MP) Jimmy Michael Akena has finally resolved to formalize its alliance with the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.
The resolution was taken during a cabinet meeting that took place over the weekend.
The meeting chaired by the party President Jimmy Akena resolved to among others take up the two ministerial cabinet positions that were handed to their members during the recent cabinet reshuffle.
UPC’s Oyam South Member of Parliament Betty Amongi and a wife to Jimmy Akena was appointed Minister for Lands while Ruth Acheng was appointed Junior Minister for Fisheries.
The party president Jimmy Akena yesterday told Chimpreports in an interview that the party cabinet during the retreat over the weekend at J&M Hotel in Entebbe took the decision to accept the appointments and use the avenue to table and popularize their party agenda.
“We were faced with a big issue after President Museveni expressed interest in working or cooperating with UPC by appointing two of our members as ministers. That’s why we called for the cabinet retreat, looking at the need for us to deepen the discussion and center it on unity,” Akena said.
“We started the discussion early in the week and agreed that we complete it with a retreat, in which we resolved to accept the appointments and work towards fostering unity, healing, national integration and mutual respect,” Akena revealed.
“We need to develop a framework under which these issues are going to be put down but doing so within the context of the law considering the Political Party and Organisations Act and the Constitution.”
Akena added, “I have got to appoint a committee that is going to be negotiating and coming up with how UPC is going to interact with government at several levels; we are not only looking at Ministerial positions as you are all aware but we want to be more involved in several arenas to improve the lives of Ugandans.”
To this effect the President revealed that the party would come up with a document, possibly a memorandum of understanding or an agreement which they will sign with the ruling party.
This document he said will have to be scrutinized by the party’s national council to ensure that it reflects the interests of UPC and Ugandans.”
Akena added that the negotiations will determine the kind of relationship that the party will be involved in with NRM, whether it will be an Alliance or just cooperation for the good of Ugandans.
He however, noted that there are several lines that the party is not ready to cross within the negotiations preferring not to reveal such condition before the press.