KAMPALA, Uganda — A bill seeking to enhance compensation for Uganda’s creative community has drawn sharp divisions in Parliament, with legislators clashing over proposed new payment requirements for broadcasters.
The Copyright and Neighbouring Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2025, would grant producers and performers additional remuneration when their sound recordings or audio-visual works are used commercially in broadcasting and public performances.
Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Norbert Mao, who moved the bill for its second reading, said Thursday that the legislation responds to long-standing grievances from the creative industry over exploitation of their work.
“Musicians are frustrated that their works are exploited, copied and played without any earnings from them,” Mao told the House. “This bill ensures that the intellectual property that is inherent in the creatives gets rewarded appropriately.”
The proposed law establishes systems for equitable revenue sharing from creative works, particularly in digital spaces, according to Hon. Stephen Baka, chairperson of the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.
“This bill enhances remuneration mechanisms for the creative industry such as benefits from call-back ringtones and provides for better compensation beyond the model of one-off payments,” Baka said.
However, Hon. David Kabanda (NRM, Kasambya County) questioned the necessity of mandating payments from radio and television stations that play artists’ music, arguing that broadcast exposure provides promotional value.
Hon. Rachel Magoola (NRM, Bugweri District Woman Representative), herself a performing artiste, countered that creators deserve compensation regardless of the platform.
“It is internationally recognised that creators are compensated for their work. The radio stations that play any work, have the burden to compensate the creators of that work,” she said.
The Attorney General, Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka, clarified that the proposed law allows broadcasting stations to make arrangements with musicians to play their music.
“If an artiste has made music and has not requested for it to be promoted, the least you can do is to tell them that you would like to promote their work. Unless an artiste requests you to promote their music for commercial purposes, you will have to pay for it if you play it,” he said.
Hon. Michael Lulume (DP, Buikwe County South) urged the Committee to inform the House whether a cost-benefit analysis on the proposed clause was done, while interacting with the creatives.
“We need to know what the creatives benefit out of this and what they will could lose. We also want to know what the consumers of their creativity will benefit out of playing their music and what they may lose if they do not play it,” Lulume noted.
The Speaker, Anita Among halted debate on the Bill while reiterating the need for a cost-benefit analysis.
