For 20 years, UMEME Limited, a South African power distribution company, lit up Ugandan homes with electricity and a now-iconic word: YAKA. The term became synonymous with prepaid electricity, deeply embedded in Ugandan households, conversations, and even jokes. However, when UMEME’s contract expired, and the government took over power distribution through Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL), something unexpected happened—the word YAKA was replaced with LIGHT.

The abrupt change sent shockwaves through Ugandan social media. Why was YAKA, a household name, suddenly scrapped? Online speculation suggests that UMEME and the government couldn’t agree on the cost of the YAKA trademark, forcing UEDCL to find a new name rather than pay up. This left Ugandans asking: Just how expensive can a single word be?

The Power of a Trademark

Trademarks protect brands, ensuring that only their rightful owners can commercially benefit from them. If UMEME registered YAKA as a trademark, then UEDCL would have needed to license or purchase it to continue using it. Failure to do so meant they had to find a new, legally unencumbered name—hence, LIGHT.

The situation highlights a crucial lesson for Ugandan businesses: intellectual property matters. Here’s why trademarks and copyright are vital and why Ugandan companies, especially in design, should embrace them:

1. Brand Ownership and Recognition

A strong trademark distinguishes a business from competitors. UMEME’s YAKA became a national term, just like how Coca-Cola is to soda. Owning a trademark ensures exclusivity, preventing others from riding on your brand’s success.

2. Legal Protection

A registered trademark legally prevents unauthorized use. If UMEME indeed owns the YAKA trademark, UEDCL cannot use it without consent, making their switch to LIGHT a necessary move. Similarly, copyright protection ensures that original designs, artwork, and digital content remain the property of their creators, preventing unauthorized duplication or misuse.

3. Monetary Value and Negotiation Power

Trademarks and copyrights can be sold, licensed, or used in partnerships. If Ugandan businesses protected their brand names, visual designs, and creative assets, they could generate revenue from licensing agreements instead of losing brand equity when ownership changes.

4. Consumer Trust and Loyalty

A well-known trademark builds trust. Ugandans are struggling with the LIGHT rebrand because they were accustomed to YAKA. A sudden name change disrupts familiarity, which could have been avoided if the name remained unchanged. In the design world, a consistent and protected brand identity helps maintain credibility and customer loyalty.

5. Protecting Design and Creative Work

For designers, copyright ensures that logos, user interfaces, branding materials, and other creative assets are protected from unauthorized use. Without copyright protection, businesses risk having their hard work copied without compensation or credit. This is especially critical for Ugandan designers, agencies, and creatives who rely on originality to differentiate their work.

Lessons for Ugandan Businesses and Designers

If a single word like YAKA can spark national debate, it underscores the power of intellectual property. Ugandan businesses—big or small—should consider trademarking their brand names, product names, and even unique slogans. Designers should also secure copyright for their work to safeguard their creative assets from exploitation.

By securing trademarks and copyrights, businesses and creatives avoid potential legal battles, strengthen their market presence, and even create additional revenue streams through licensing. The YAKA debacle should be a wake-up call: the cost of a trademark or copyright dispute could be more expensive than simply securing your brand early.

As Ugandans adjust to buying LIGHT instead of YAKA, one thing is clear: words, designs, and creative assets hold value. And in the world of business and design, that value can be worth millions.