| position = Centre-left to left-wing
| seats1_title = National Assembly of Uganda
| seats1 =
| website = https://www.upcparty.net/
| flag = 200px
The Uganda People's Congress (UPC; ) is a political party in Uganda.
UPC was founded in 1960 by Milton Obote, who led the country to independence alongside UPC member of parliament A.G. Mehta. Obote later served two presidential terms under the party's banner. Obote was still the party head when he died in October 2005, although he had previously announced his intention to step down.
The party won nine out of 289 elected seats in the 2006 general election. In the presidential election of the same date, UPC candidate Miria Obote, the former first lady, won 0.8 percent of the vote.
On 14 May 2010, the party elected Olara Otunnu, a former United Nations undersecretary-general for children and armed conflict, to lead the party. He replaced Obote's widow Miria. when Milton Obote was overthrown by Idi Amin. The party returned to power under Obote in 1980 until he was overthrown again in 1985 by Tito Okello. The history of the UPC is intertwined with the ethnic divide that has plagued Uganda since it was a British protectorate.
In this void emerged an alternative – the Uganda National Congress (UNC). Although led by a northerner (Milton Obote), the UNC appeared more modernist and accommodating and attracted many southerners particularly in the east. The UNC formed an alliance with Uganda People's Union (UPU) and emerged as the UPC.
The three parties (Kabaka Yekka, UPC, and the Democratic Party) contested the first pre-independence election.
As expected, Kabaka Yekka won most of the seats in Buganda and the UPC won most seats in the north and east. However, the Democratic Party (DP) led by Benedicto Kiwanuka emerged as the largest single party. Kiwanuka was on the verge of becoming the first prime minister of independent Uganda when he was thwarted by a surprising alliance between the UPC and Kabaka Yekka.
Ugandan Constitutional Conference
The UPC, represented by President Milton Obote and Member of Parliament A.G. Mehta, led negotiations with the British Government to pave the way for Ugandan independence at the Ugandan Constitutional Conference, held at Lancaster House in 1961.
First government
The alliance between the UPC and Kabaka Yekka did not last long. After four years in power, Milton Obote ordered a military attack on the Kabaka's palace in 1966. John Mikloth Magoola Luwuliza-Kirunda came in as organizing secretary in 1966. The attack was led by an army officer called Idi Amin. Obote as leader of the UPC was closely aligned to the Military Junta that had replaced Idi Amin and rather than strengthen the support of the party in the South of Uganda took up a more military approach. The army (traditionally dominated by Northerners) was a brutal machine that carried out numerous atrocities particularly in the South. This polarised the north–south divide with the UPC being perceived more as a Northern party than ever before. Southerners turned to the Democratic Party and a smaller party called the Uganda Patriotic Movement (UPM) led by a former UPC member, Yoweri Museveni.
In the elections of 1980, there was overwhelming suspicion that the UPC had rigged the result with the help of the Military Junta. This perception was further enhanced when Obote appointed the head of the Military Junta, Paulo Muwanga as his vice president when the UPC was declared the winner of the elections. A civil war broke out in Uganda when Yoweri Museveni rejected the result and went to the bush to fight the government.
New leader
The UPC's poor performance in the 2006 elections forced the party to review its place in Ugandan politics. Uganda's political landscape is changing from regional based parties to personality driven politics. The party needed to find a leader with a recognised calibre in politics. The party chose Dr. Olara Otunnu, a former UN undersecretary general for children and armed conflict. The election however revealed internal conflicts in the party that are likely to affect its performance at the 2011 elections. Otunnu served under Tito Okello as Foreign Minister and is seen by some as part of the putsch that overthrew the last UPC government in 1985. This election led to the rise of Jimmy Akena, son of the founding father of UPC. Akena became President of the Uganda People's Congress on 2 July 2015.