• Spice Diana criticizes the Shs5bn pledge given to bloggers and TikTokers after meeting President Museveni.
  • She says key issues like lifting the Facebook ban and improving monetization for creatives were ignored.
  • The singer urges government to streamline Uganda’s creative industry so artists can earn sustainably from their work.

Ugandan singer Spice Diana has expressed frustration with the recent meeting between bloggers, TikTokers and President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, where the creatives reportedly received a pledge of Shs5 billion to support their work.

Spice Diana said she was disappointed by the issues raised during the engagement, noting that some of the most pressing challenges affecting content creators were not addressed.

According to the singer, she expected influencers and bloggers to push for structural changes that would benefit the entire creative industry rather than focusing on short-term financial support.

“I expected some of them to raise issues like the government lifting the ban on Facebook because it affects our work directly,” Spice Diana said.

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She explained that before Ugandans were required to use VPNs to access Facebook, her posts would easily attract over a million views. However, engagement dropped significantly after the restrictions were introduced, making it harder for creatives to earn from their content.

“Before the Facebook ban, I would get over a million views on my posts. Now it’s very difficult because people have to use VPNs,” she added.

Spice Diana argued that instead of offering handouts, the government should focus on streamlining the creative industry so artists, influencers and digital creators can earn sustainable incomes from their work.

She pointed to neighboring Kenya as an example where creatives are able to generate better income from platforms like YouTube compared to Uganda.

While she admitted that she sometimes chooses to stay quiet on certain matters as she grows older, the singer insisted that authorities must do more to organize and support the creative sector.