The Ministry of ICT and National Guidance has launched a nationwide singing competition, Sauti Ya Uganda, aimed at promoting patriotism through music and encouraging Ugandans to learn and confidently sing the country’s national anthems.
The competition, launched under the theme, “One Nation, One Voice,” seeks to strengthen national pride, unity and appreciation of Uganda’s identity and heritage through singing.
Speaking at the launch on Friday, Uganda Media Centre Executive Director Alan Kasujja, who represented the Minister of ICT and National Guidance, Justine Kasule Lumumba, described the initiative as a national movement designed to inspire citizens to reconnect with symbols of national identity.
Kasujja called on Ugandans with the ability to sing the national anthems to register and participate in the competition.
“Anybody who can sing can enter the competition. If you are great as a band or choir, you can also enter the competition,” Kasujja said.
The competition will be conducted across all regions of Uganda, with regional winners receiving Shs20 million each before advancing to the national finals, where the overall winner will take home a Shs100 million grand prize.
Organisers said the initiative is also part of activities to promote national pride ahead of Uganda’s co-hosting of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The AFCON organising committee contributed Shs100 million towards the competition.
The ministry also launched the #SautiYaUganda TikTok Challenge to encourage wider participation, with participants competing for daily prizes of Shs1 million and an overall online challenge prize of Shs5 million.
Ugandans have been encouraged to record themselves singing the national anthem and share their videos on TikTok using the hashtag #SautiYaUganda.
Officials said the campaign is intended to increase the number of citizens who can recite the national anthem by heart while promoting patriotism, unity and national identity.
Veteran musician and journalist Halima Namakula, one of the competition ambassadors, welcomed the initiative, saying it would help Ugandans rediscover their connection with the country.
Swangz Avenue co-founder Benon Mugumbya also pledged to support talented participants by offering recording opportunities to some contestants.
He singled out the Makerere University Choir, which performed the national anthems during the launch.
Kasujja said the idea for the competition was inspired by a personal experience in which he discovered that a colleague could not fully sing the national anthem.
“She was only able to sing, ‘We young women and men of Uganda,’ and that shocked me,” Kasujja said.
Interested participants can obtain registration forms through the Uganda Media Centre’s official X platform.
