Ugandan veteran singer and philanthropist Halima Namakula has opened up about the origins of Beat FM, one of Uganda’s celebrated radio stations, revealing that the concept was actually born from her son’s vision.

Speaking in a recent interview, Halima shared that the idea for the station was conceived in 2002, shortly after they had established a recording studio to support local music.

“My son brought the idea,” she explained. “We didn’t want to plead for airplay for our artists.”

The goal, she said, was to create a platform that would make it easier to promote the music they were producing—particularly from local artists, many of whom struggled to get airplay on mainstream radio.

“We wanted a platform where we could easily push music from our studio, especially for local artists who were struggling to get airplay,” Halima added.

Beat FM went on air shortly after, and they ran the station for two years before selling it due to rising operational costs. However, Halima emphasized that a key condition in the sale agreement was that the station name had to remain "Beat FM".

“Actually, it was in the agreement when we sold it off that they shouldn’t change the name, and I still have shares there—but not a lot,” she noted.

Although she no longer controls the station, Halima expressed pride in its legacy and the impact it has had in promoting Ugandan music.