Uganda Army Chief Shuts Down NTV and Daily Monitor

Uganda's military chief General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, son of long-serving President Yoweri Museveni, ordered armed soldiers on Sunday to raid and occupy the premises of three leading media outlets: NTV Uganda, Spark TV and the Daily Monitor newspaper, all owned by Nation Media Group.

Viewers of NTV Uganda and Spark TV were met with blank screens from early Sunday morning, while Daily Monitor offices were placed under military siege, preventing staff from entering their workplaces.

General Declares War on Free Press

Muhoozi posted on social media platform X: "In Uganda, I do not believe in a free press!" He said all media in Uganda would henceforth follow rules he deemed appropriate, and that the outlets "would not reopen" without his personal authorisation. The statements drew immediate condemnation from journalists' organisations across East Africa.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) called the military storming of the outlets illegal and a direct assault on press freedom. Regional press councils urged governments to de-escalate.

Nation Media Group's Broad Reach

Nation Media Group operates NTV Uganda, Spark TV, the Daily Monitor, 93.3 KFM radio, 90.4 Dembe FM and the Ennyanda newspaper in Uganda. The shutdown silenced one of the country's most trusted independent news sources. As of Sunday evening, the outlets remained under military occupation with no timeline for reopening. The incident marks one of the most serious attacks on the free press in the region in recent years.