14th September 2023.
KAMPALA, Uganda – In the run-up to the highly anticipated 2026 elections in Uganda, a legal battle is underway to determine the rightful owner of the popular political slogan, ‘Omalako Jajja Tova Ku Main.’ The Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) has scheduled October 19, 2023, as the date when it will deliver its decision in this closely watched case.
The dispute centers around three claimants, each asserting their authorship of the catchy slogan that gained prominence in late 2022, often heard at National Resistance Movement (NRM) functions and events where President Yoweri Museveni’s candidacy beyond 2026 is endorsed.
The main players in this tussle are social media critic Frank Gashumba, Lwengo district LC V chairperson, Ibrahim Kitatta, and Hadija Namyalo Uzeiye, head of the Office of the NRM chairperson.
The case, presided over by registrar Ronald Lutunde, saw the involved parties come together for a hearing on September 12th, 2023. During this hearing, the parties presented their respective arguments and collectively identified the key issue at hand: who rightfully authored the slogan, and what remedies should be available to each party.
To facilitate a fair resolution, the URSB directed all parties to submit written arguments and timelines explaining why the decision should favor their claims. The decision will be delivered via their respective email addresses on October 19, 2023.
The dispute over ‘Tova Ku Main’ started in May 2023 when Frank Gashumba, a well-known social and political commentator, applied for its registration with the URSB. In his application, Gashumba asserted that he had crafted the slogan on May 16, 2023, at the request of Hadijah Uzeiye Namyalo. The URSB published a notice of registration on May 23, 2023, inviting objections from the public over a 60-day period. Namyalo expressed her objection to Gashumba’s claim, stating that she officially began using the slogan on October 19, 2022, during the launch of an initiative urging President Museveni to run for the presidency in 2026.
On June 26, 2023, Ibrahim Kitatta entered the fray through his legal representatives, challenging both Namyalo and Gashumba’s claims. Kitatta insisted that he was the true originator of the slogan, having launched it on October 17, 2022, at Zebra Hotel in Masaka city – two days before Namyalo’s purported use.
Kitatta further presented evidence that he had applied for copyright protection on January 27, 2023, with the URSB subsequently issuing a notice of application on February 13, 2023. This notice was gazetted on February 24, 2023, under General Notice number 476 of 2023. Consequently, Kitatta was registered as the author and owner of the copyright for ‘Omalako Jajja Tova Ku Main,’ with a certificate of registration (No.6 of 2023) issued as proof.
