[3] It proceeded to hold a nationwide contest,[4] with the criteria they stipulated for the anthem being that it should be "short, original, solemn, praising and looking forward to the future".

[3] He wrote the anthem in one day, having listened on Radio Uganda the night before about how none of the entries received so far had been deemed suitable by the subcommittee.

[7] Kakoma died before the country's Court of Appeal dismissed the case in 2019, finding that the anthem's copyright vested in the government and not the author.

May God uphold thee, We lay our future in thy hand; United, free for liberty together we'll always stand.

The land of freedom, Our love and labour we give; And with neighbours all at our country's call In peace and friendship we'll live.

Ensi y'eddembe, Okwagala n'okulusana tubikuwa, Ne baliraanwa baffe boona, lw'omulanga gwensi yaffe, Mu mirembe n'omukwano tunaberawo!

Ensi etuliisa, Lw'omusana n'obugimu bw'ettaka, Lw'obugazi bw'ensi yaffe, tujja kuyimirira bulijjo, Ekimasa ky'amakula ga Afirika!

Mungu akusimamie, Tunaweka mustakabali wetu mikononi mwako; Umoja, bure kwa uhuru pamoja tutasimama daima.