Artistes are set to cash in with a Shs 100 million prize up for grabs for whoever creates the most compelling rendition of the Uganda national anthem and East African anthem.
The Sauti Ya Uganda (Voice of Uganda) campaign launched by the Uganda Media Centre, the entity that coordinates government communication, will see artistes – solo singers, rappers, bands, choirs and instrumentalists – vie for the ultimate prize. The challenge at hand being, learning, interpreting, and performing all three stanzas of the two anthems in any style and language they choose.
The campaign is in apart driven by the sad reality that most Ugandans can only sing the first verse of their national anthem, while the vast majority have no knowledge of the regional East African Community anthem.
Sauti Ya Uganda is partially funded by an AFCON organizing partner through the regional “Pamoja” framework. Uganda Media Centre says adding the regional anthem is a strategic effort to boost East African identity, helping Ugandans to better understand and value regional unity before the continental games.
Registration opened July 10 and will run until August 8. Forms can be downloaded from https://tinyurl.com/sautiyauganda.
The competition is open to solo performers, local choirs, musical bands, and cultural groups.
Participants that are not digital savvy have a provision to mail or drop off completed registration forms at the National Theatre in Kampala.
“To guarantee full transparency and fairness, a panel of professional judges will travel to different regions for live knockout rounds,” the Media Centre wrote in a press statement.
“This mobile judging system reduces travel expenses for rural contestants, allowing those performing in indigenous languages or using unconventional traditional and folk arrangements to be judged fairly in their home areas.”
The competition will culminate on the grand national stage on October 9, 2026, during the Independence Day Anniversary celebrations.
As a way of driving engagement on TikTok, four lucky individuals will each win Shs 1 million during the weekly challenges.
Alan Kasujja, the Executive Director of the Uganda Media Centre, emphasized that the initiative goes far deeper than a standard television talent search.
“Sauti Ya Uganda isn’t asking you to memorize words,” Kasujja stated.
“It is asking you to bring back to life—in your own voice, your own language, and choose unity over division and region over tribe. This is not just a talent search. It is an invitation to every Ugandan, in English or in your mother tongue, to reinterpret our national anthem and East African Anthem in your own voice, style, and creativity,” he added.
Prominent academic and cultural leaders have rallied behind the campaign, framing it as a vital intervention for nation-building. Dr. Benon Kigozi of the African Music Council noted that a shared understanding of these anthems offers a systematic solution to national fragmentation.
“The competition on the Uganda National Anthem and the East African Anthem is very important in promoting patriotism and a general sense of nationalism and belonging,” Dr. Kigozi said. “With everyone acquainted with the anthem, the question of unification is solved because we all sing the same song for the same reason in the same nation.”
For the project’s celebrity brand ambassadors, the competition carries immense personal weight. Legendary singer Hajat Halima Namakula expressed her dedication to the civic drive, saying, “This is something I have always wanted. I am glad that the Uganda Media Centre chose me as one of the ambassadors, and I am going to do the work as they want me to because I am doing it for me and my country.”
Renowned media personality and storyteller Dr. Mich Egwang reflected on how the anthem serves as an emotional anchor that defines national identity.
“Every time I am on a given platform, I play my national anthem, and it makes me very proud. Sometimes it brings tears to my eyes,” Dr. Egwang said.
“The question we should all be asking ourselves is who we are. The national anthem gives us our identity. My job is to tell stories, and I am so excited that Uganda Media Centre has organized this competition to promote our anthem, and I am glad to be part of it.”
Organizers say Sauti Ya Uganda holds vital importance for the nation’s socio-political landscape. In a period marked by regionalism, political division, and tribal prejudices that challenge unity, the government is looking yo use the emotional impact of music as a strategic tool for national integration.
By actively encouraging participants to perform in their local dialects and unique musical styles, the program challenges the idea that patriotism requires forsaking cultural traditions. It instead presents Uganda’s cultural diversity as complementary parts of a single, harmonious song, while also nurturing a future-oriented mindset among youth to see beyond national borders toward a unified East African identity.
