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By Ben Musanje
A routine government press briefing at the Uganda Media Centre (UMC) on Tuesday descended into drama after journalists protested delays and a newly introduced protocol requiring the singing of multiple anthems before the commencement of the weekly Cabinet press conference.
The press conference, addressed by the Minister for ICT and National Guidance, Justine Kasule Lumumba, had been scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. However, proceedings only got underway about 45 minutes later after the minister held a closed-door meeting with Uganda Media Centre Executive Director Allan Kasujja.
Although the minister’s convoy arrived at the Uganda Media Centre exactly at 11:00 a.m., she immediately entered a meeting with Kasujja, a practice journalist at the venue described as common before Cabinet briefings.
The delay further frustrated members of the press, many of whom had reported to the media centre before 8:00 a.m. for an earlier press conference that had been scheduled for 10:30 a.m. by the Minister for Energy and Mineral Development, Dr. Monica Musenero. That briefing was later cancelled, leaving journalists waiting for several hours.
While refreshments were served to the waiting journalists, the gesture did little to calm their growing impatience. Throughout the wait, journalists repeatedly pressed press conference moderator David Sserumaga to call the minister so she could deliver the Cabinet decisions.
When Minister Lumumba eventually emerged, accompanied by Kasujja, she approached the podium but stopped before addressing the media.
Kasujja then stepped forward and announced that a decision had been made to begin all press conferences with the singing of the Uganda National Anthem followed by the East African Community Anthem.
A young woman identified only as Martha led the gathering in singing the two anthems.
However, immediately after the East African Community Anthem ended, journalists, who had remained standing, unexpectedly broke into the Buganda Kingdom anthem.
The spontaneous move appeared to catch Kasujja off guard. He was visibly seen making a body movement suggesting an attempt to stop the journalists before abandoning the effort. Minister Lumumba, who was already standing at the podium, remained silent and waited until the Buganda anthem had been completed.
After the journalists finished singing, Minister Lumumba herself sang one stanza of the Busoga Kingdom anthem before inviting another person to sing the anthems of the Iteso and the Karamojong.
Following the unexpected developments, the minister resolved that only two anthems—the Uganda National Anthem and the East African Community Anthem—would be sung at future press conferences.
The atmosphere remained tense.
As the anthem session continued, an exchange broke out involving press conference moderator David Sserumaga and one of the journalists. The journalist accused Sserumaga of masterminding what he described as “time-wasting” sessions.
Sserumaga defended himself, insisting he was not responsible for making such decisions.
“I am not the boss. I don’t decide anything. I only implement what my bosses decide,” he responded.
Several journalists remained visibly dissatisfied with the newly introduced anthem session, arguing that it unnecessarily prolonged press conferences instead of allowing immediate discussion of government business.
Despite the interruptions and exchanges, Minister Lumumba proceeded to brief the media on decisions reached during the Cabinet meeting held on Monday, July 6, 2026, at State House, Entebbe.
Among the key decisions, Cabinet approved the appointment of the governing board of the National Building Review Board established under the Building Control Act. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
