How Bishop Sabiti sparked debate on Uganda’s ‘Godless’ anthem in 1962

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ugandan national anthem was amended just two months after independence following a complaint from the Church that it was “Godless”.

The anthem, a cherished symbol of national pride, is sung at official ceremonies, school parades, and other events across the country.

Composed by George William Kakoma and Peter G. Wingard, the anthem, titled “Oh Uganda, Land of Beauty,” is noted for its brevity—at just eight bars, it’s one of the shortest national anthems globally, alongside Japan’s.

However, just after Uganda gained independence on October 9, 1962, the anthem’s lyrics were amended. This change was largely driven by the advocacy of Bishop Erica Sabiti, who would rise to become first black Archbishop of Uganda in 1966.

In a post on his X account, historian and author, Prof. Derek R. Peterson, shared documents showcasing intriguing correspondence between the prelate, who was Bishop of Ruwenzori at the time, and top government officials in the lead-up to – and shortly after – independence. These discussions focused on the anthem’s content, particularly its spiritual significance.

In the original version of the anthem, the first line of the first stanza was ‘Oh Uganda, thy people praise thee’. In a letter dated August 21, 1962, just 19 days before Independence Day, the Church of Uganda bishop “protested that God was nowhere mentioned.”

Prof. Peterson shared the original music sheet of the anthem as well as the Bishop Sabiti’s letter. Prof. Peterson has spent years working on archival projects for several significant documents related to Uganda.

Originally, the anthem began with the line, “Oh Uganda, thy people praise thee.” Bishop Sabiti expressed concern over the lack of any mention of God in the lyrics. In a letter to then-Prime Minister Milton Obote, Erica Sabiti expressed his discontent, emphasizing Uganda’s deep-rooted religious identity.

“I feel that Uganda is a religious country and it is a pity that the word god is not named in her anthem,” the bishop wrote in a letter dated August 21, 1962.

The bishop did not hesitate to suggest revising the first line to “Oh, our God, the people praise thee,” believing that this change would more accurately reflect the nation’s loyalty to both God and country.

Obote, who was outside of the country at the time, acknowledged receiving the bishop’s letter and expressed sympathy for the request. He noted, however, that some of his advisors had strong reservations about altering the anthem.

“Their view is that the change would make the first verse of the national anthem a hymn and not anthem and that Uganda as a country would not come into the picture at all until the second verse,” he noted in his letter addressed to the Archbishop of Namirembe on September 13, 1962.

In the same letter, Obote requested the acting Prime Minister G. B. K. Magezi to arrange for the amendment of the first verse of the national anthem.

Obote also provided his own version, which Prof. Peterson described as somewhat clunky, suggesting that the first stanza read: “God lead Uganda whose people praise thee, Uganda we lay our future in thy hands. United, free for liberty, together we’ll always stand.”

However, Magezi and other ministers soon recognized that Obote’s revised text would not fit the structure of the existing tune. The acting Prime Minister pointed out that the suggested changes would require adding three extra syllables to the second line, making it difficult to integrate with the anthem’s melody.

“I am advised that to add these syllables would result in a “hurried” effect which would destroy the dignity of the anthem,” Magezi noted in a letter to the archbishop.

At that time, over 85,000 copies of the National Anthem had already been printed in preparation of the independence day event, and the acting Prime Minister noted that it would be virtually impossible to reprint all the copies at such a late stage.

“…also, with the tremendous amount of printing still to be done, it is impracticable to print so many amendment slips and insert them in each copy of the programme, copies of the words and music for school, etc…” he added, though he confirmed that the lyrics would definitely be changed at a later date.

Based on the available documentation, Prof. Peterson noted that on independence day, October 9, 1962, Ugandans actually sang the original lyrics: “Oh Uganda! Thy people praise thee.”

Nearly two months after independence, Prime Minister Milton Obote wrote another letter to the Archbishop on December 3 revealing that the anthem had finally been revised. The first verse was changed, resulting in the well-known first verse sung todate: “Oh Uganda! May God uphold thee.”

Around 2014, concerns arose that the government wanted to change, not even amend, the National Anthem. This issue gained attention until Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi addressed it on the floor of Parliament, stating that there was no urgent need for such a change. His comments helped to settle the matter, which had stirred debate across the country for several days.

Background and Copyright Issues

Before independence in 1962, a committee chaired by Professor Ssenteza Kajubi was established to select Uganda’s national symbols, including the national anthem. Although several compositions were submitted, none were considered suitable.

Available information shows that the head of the committee then invited George Kakoma, a graduate of Trinity College of Music and Durham University in London, to create an anthem. Within a day, Kakoma and Peter Windgard composed the anthem, which was declared the winner in July of that year, just a few months before independence.

In an article by Phillip Karugaba and Tracy Kakong, it was noted that the anthem was chosen after rejecting around 50 entries from an open competition, with the composers receiving UGX 2,000 for the winning entry.

Years later, George William Kakoma, filed a lawsuit in the High Court to claim rightful ownership of the anthem’s copyright and sought 40 years’ worth of royalties.

Although High Court Judge Yorokamu Bamwine awarded Kakoma 50 million Shillings as a final settlement in 2010, the Court of Appeal overturned this decision in 2019. The Appellant court emphasized that, according to the law, if a work is created under the direction or control of the government, the government retains ownership of the copyright.

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