Bobi Wine claims how government foiled his copyright law attempts

• Bobi Wine says he and lawyer Silver Kyagulanyi studied the copyright law and submitted recommendations through MP Hilary Kiyaga.
• He accuses the government of frustrating the process and channelling funds to the UNMF under Eddy Kenzo instead.
• UNMF maintains that engagements with stakeholders are ongoing to push the law forward.

The long-running tension between Uganda’s music industry and politics has resurfaced following fresh remarks by National Unity Platform (NUP) President Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, commonly known as Bobi Wine, during his campaign rally in Kawempe.

Addressing a large crowd, Bobi Wine said that he and his half-brother Silver Kyagulanyi, a lawyer currently pursuing his master’s degree, independently studied the copyright law to understand how it could best serve Ugandan musicians nationwide. He noted that they compared Uganda’s draft to copyright structures in established music markets such as Nigeria, Ghana, and Jamaica.

According to him, the intention was to create a framework that benefits musicians not only in Kampala but across all regions of the country.

“A law made in good faith should not favour a small clique. It should uplift every creative in every corner of Uganda,” Bobi Wine told supporters.

He further revealed that after compiling their findings and recommendations, they handed the documents to Mawokota North MP Hilary Kiyaga (Dr Hilderman), who later presented them before Parliament. However, Bobi Wine accused the ruling NRM majority of frustrating the process.

He claimed that the government instead pushed resources— an amount of 30 billion shillings—towards the Uganda National Musicians Federation (UNMF) led by Eddy Kenzo, in what he described as an attempt to stifle progress on the law and undermine his influence among musicians.

The copyright bill has been one of the most debated topics in Uganda’s creative sector. Meanwhile, UNMF President Eddy Kenzo recently stated that there is ongoing progress, with musicians and other creatives continuing to meet stakeholders to refine and advance the law.

Online reactions have been mixed, with some praising Bobi Wine for taking interest in the issue, while others questioned why he never championed it during his tenure as an MP from 2017 to 2021.