Ugandan musician King Saha has criticized lawmakers for delaying debate on the country’s proposed copyright law, urging Parliament to urgently pass legislation that artists say is critical to the survival of the music industry.
The remarks follow a decision by the Parliament of Uganda to postpone discussion of the copyright bill last week after legislators reportedly disagreed on several clauses within the proposed law.
The delay has sparked frustration among musicians and other creatives who believe the legislation would strengthen their ability to earn from their work.
In a video posted on his social media platform X, King Saha argued that copyright protections would help formalize music as a profession and ensure artists benefit from the commercial use of their work.
“Copyright helps us as musicians to officialize our music as a profession because the government already did and it taxes us. So we ask that this issue of copyright be sorted before Ramadan finishes,” he said.
Artists have particularly raised concern about Clause 9 of the proposed law, which they say would guarantee musicians royalties whenever their music is played on radio and television.
According to Saha, many artists continue to struggle financially despite their music being widely consumed. He claimed that some musicians have been pushed into distress because they earn little from their work while others profit from it.
The singer warned that if Parliament does not resolve the issue soon, artists could resort to demonstrations to push lawmakers into action. Saha said musicians are prepared to mobilize and use every possible means to ensure their concerns about copyright protection are addressed.
Singer King Saha joins copyright battle. #KJNews pic.twitter.com/FqENaFZzBC
— The Kampala Journal (@KampalaJournal) March 15, 2026
Don’t want to miss out on any story? For updates on all Sqoop stories, follow this link on Telegram: https://t.me/Sqoop and Whatsapp: https://whatsapp.com/channel