Golden Jubilee • 1976 to 2026
PRAU at 50
Celebrating 50 years of professional excellence, and shaping the future of public relations.
For half a century, PRAU has helped build trust, shape reputations and raise the standard of public relations in Uganda. As we turn 50, we honour the people and councils who brought us here, and we set our sights on the next fifty years.
Golden Jubilee Week runs 20 to 23 October 2026 at the Source of the Nile Hotel, Jinja.
Building a stronger profession for the next 50 years
As PRAU marks 50 years, we celebrate a profession that has grown alongside Uganda’s institutions, economy, media and society. Our Golden Jubilee is a chance to honour those who laid the foundation, recognise practitioners across every generation, and think clearly about the association we want to build for the next 50 years.
This journey has been carried by former presidents, governing councils, members and partners who gave their time and expertise to the profession. I pay tribute to the colleagues we have lost, and I thank everyone whose service brought us this far.
At 50, PRAU has both a legacy to protect and a future to shape.
One of our most important priorities is the proposed Public Relations and Communications Practitioners Bill. As communication becomes central to leadership, accountability and stakeholder trust, the profession needs a clear framework for ethical practice and professional standards. Recognition must be matched by responsibility.
The tools of our work have changed beyond recognition. A single phone can now capture, write and publish to the world in minutes, and artificial intelligence is accelerating that shift. These advances still demand judgement. Technology supports our work, but strategic thinking, originality and ethics remain ours to bring.
We have moved into dedicated offices and strengthened the secretariat with full time staff. Members can now join online, receive electronic certificates and digital membership cards with QR codes, and pay for professional learning. At our last AGM we presented audited accounts, and we are broadening our income with the long term goal of a permanent PRAU home.
The future of this profession depends on how well we prepare the people who will carry it forward. We are deepening our work with universities, encouraging practitioners to welcome interns, and running mentorship cohorts. By investing in students and early career professionals, we are building a pipeline of capable, ethical and confident communicators.
Every post adds to an organisation’s public record, and content can outlive the moment it was deleted. With AI, citizen journalism and user generated content now part of the picture, our job is to verify, to separate fact from speculation, and to communicate with honesty, especially in a crisis.
Our Jubilee brings practitioners together in Jinja from 20 to 23 October 2026 to reflect, share and celebrate, with colleagues joining us from across East Africa and beyond. I want a profession with a stronger ethical framework, broader recognition, deeper investment in young talent, and a financially sustainable association with a home of its own. I congratulate the PRAU fraternity on this milestone.
Honouring our past governing councils
Fifty years of leadership. These are the councils and presidents whose service shaped the profession. Explore their legacy, and add a tribute of your own.
2025 to 2027, Current Council
Past Presidents and Councils
The Golden Legacy Award
In Memoriam
Share a Tribute
Swipe or use the arrows to see more councils.
The Golden Jubilee programme
A week of professional sessions, networking and celebration in Jinja, closing with the 10th PRAU Excellence Awards Gala on Friday 23 October.
- 2:00 pm — Arrivals & check-in
- 6:00–8:00 pm — Campfire Conversations. PR Unplugged: off-the-record lessons, blunders and untold stories from 50 years in the trenches. BBQ & entertainment.
Dress code: Denim & White
- 8:30 am — Arrival, national anthems, entertainment
- 9:00 am — Welcome remarks & PRAU@50 Docu-Serie EP1
- 9:30 am — PRAU Patron’s Address
- 10:00 am–12:30 pm — Official Opening Ceremony & the Golden Jubilee Presidential Address (H.E. Irene Nakasiita)
- 12:30 pm — Heritage & Evolution: the historical narrative of PR in Uganda
- 2:30 pm — Keynote: accelerating Africa’s growth through strategic communications, PR & public affairs
- 3:30 pm — The State of PR in Uganda (presentation & fireside chat)
- 4:30 pm — Artificial Intelligence in PR & communications
- 8:00 pm — Dinner & entertainment
Dress code: Corporate smart (day), Culture wear (night)
- 8:30 am — Ice breakers & the CEO Dance Challenge; Breakfast Meeting on Leadership & Governance
- 10:30 am — ESG & Sustainability
- 11:30 am — Ethics & Legal: responsible communications; AI in PR
- 2:00 pm — Media Roundtable: the art of earned media
- 5:00 pm — Panel: marketing communications for maximum ROI
- 7:30 pm — Jinja nightlife experience
Dress code: Corporate smart (day), Free style (night)
- 9:00 am–4:00 pm — Jinja City excursion & discovery
- 5:00 pm — 10th PRAU Excellence Awards Gala — “A Legacy in Gold”
The evening honours the Golden Legacy Award (all PRAU past presidents) and crowns winners across every category, closing with the PR Crown Jewel.
Dress code: Ball gowns & tuxedos — black or red with a touch of gold
Register and pay for PRAU at 50
Fees cover the Jubilee programme. Accommodation and transport to Jinja are arranged separately.
Delegate fees
- PRAU Members 1,800,000 UGX
- Non-Members 2,000,000 UGX
- International Delegates 550 USD
- Students 1,000,000 UGX
- Dial *291#
- Select Pay Merchant
- Enter merchant code 288537
- Enter the amount
- Reason: Your names, PRAU at 50
- Confirm with 1, then enter your PIN
- Account number: 9030 0059 00777
- Account name: PRAU Events Account
- Reference: Your names, PRAU at 50
Please confirm the current account details with the PRAU Secretariat before you pay.
Share your PRAU memory
Fifty years of PRAU is really fifty years of people. If PRAU shaped your career, mentored you, or you served on a council, tell us your story for the Jubilee record.
Watch the PRAU story
A look back at where we started, and how far the profession has come.
50 years of PR excellence in Uganda
The PRAU Golden Jubilee story
Here is to the next fifty years
Our Golden Jubilee celebrates how far we have come. What matters more is what we build next. Join us.
Our partners and sponsors
The Golden Jubilee is made possible by the organisations that invest in this profession. We are grateful to every one of them.