President Yoweri Museveni has assented to eight key pieces of legislation with wide-reaching implications across Uganda’s economy, with particular impact on the creative industry, labour market, public health systems and energy sector.

Among the laws signed into effect is the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights (Amendment) Act, 2026, a reform widely welcomed by artists and stakeholders as a long-awaited step toward strengthening intellectual property protection and ensuring fair compensation for creatives. The new law is expected to address longstanding challenges in royalty collection and enforcement.

In a parallel development, Ugandan-made devices designed to track music played in commercial spaces are now being installed across the country. The system, known as NYANGE, will monitor music usage in hotels, bars, media houses and other public venues.

“These devices will support music royalties collection and distribution. Installation is now underway, The device name is NYANGE” says Eddy Kenzo, President of the Uganda National Musicians Federation (UNMF).

The rollout of the NYANGE system signals a shift from policy to implementation, providing a technological backbone to support the enforcement of the newly assented copyright law.

Reacting to the development, Eddy Kenzo welcomed the presidential assent, describing it as a major milestone for Uganda’s creative sector.

“We warmly welcome the Presidential assent to the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights (Amendment) Act, 2026, a milestone that strengthens the protection, value, and future of our music and the entire creative sector.

This achievement is the result of collective effort, resilience, and unwavering belief. We extend our deepest gratitude to all creatives, stakeholders, leaders, and partners who stood firm throughout this journey. Your voices, your advocacy, and your unity made this possible.

We offer special appreciation to H.E. the President of the Republic of Uganda for listening, engaging, and ultimately assenting to this important law.

This is progress but the mission continues.

The struggle for full implementation, enforcement, and real economic transformation of our creatives is still on. Step by step, we move forward. And so far… so good.”

Beyond the creative industry, the President also assented to several other laws, including the Employment (Amendment) Act, 2025, which strengthens protections for domestic, casual and migrant workers, and the National Drug and Health Products Authority Act, 2026, expanding regulation across medicines, vaccines, medical devices, diagnostics and cosmetics to enhance safety and oversight.

Other legislation signed includes the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act, 2026, introducing mandatory energy standards and audits, as well as reforms affecting public enterprises, forensic services and the judiciary, the Non-Performing Assets Recovery Trust (Repeal) Act, 2024, which dissolves the Trust and transfers its functions to the Ministry of Finance to streamline operations and, the Forensic and Scientific Analytical Services Act, 2026 which enhances forensic systems and evidence handling, the Public Enterprises Reform and Divestiture (Amendment) Act, 2024, and the Magistrates Courts (Amendment) Act, 2026.

The coordinated passage of these laws marks a significant policy shift, with government focusing on regulation, enforcement and modernization across sectors. For Uganda’s creative industry, however, attention is now turning to how effectively the new copyright framework and tracking technology will be implemented to ensure artists fully benefit from their work.