President’s Son Orders Closure of Nation Media Group Uganda

(KAMPALA, UGANDA) – Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces ordered the immediate shutdown of several major independent media outlets early Sunday, triggering a military deployment at broadcaster premises and forcing television and radio stations off air.

Armed security personnel took up positions at Nation Media Group Uganda facilities in Namuwongo and at Kampala Serena Hotel shortly after midnight. Staff reported being barred from entering or leaving the compounds. By 5:00 am local time, NTV Uganda and Spark TV screens displayed only a “video unavailable” message. Radio stations 93.3 KFM and 90.4 Dembe FM also ceased broadcasting during the operation.

General Muhoozi Kainerugaba announced the action in a series of social media posts. “NTV and Monitor are being shut down from today,” he wrote at 1:07 am. In a later post, he stated the outlets “will not re-open without my permission.” In an earlier message, he declared, “In Uganda, I DO NOT believe in a free press. The press should be guided by cadres of the revolution.”

The General said the ban was imposed because the outlets had covered his father, President Yoweri Museveni. The remarks followed a week in which he repeatedly claimed he was awaiting his father’s approval before moving against the media house.

Nation Media Group Uganda operates NTV Uganda, Daily Monitor, Spark TV, The East African, 93.3 KFM, 90.4 Dembe FM, Ennyanda newspaper and the Nation Courier. The company employs more than 500 people in Uganda.

For nearly four hours after the siege began, NTV Uganda continued broadcasting an Al Jazeera simulcast. It went dark shortly before 5:00 am. By daybreak, security personnel remained at the Namuwongo and Serena Hotel sites, with staff still unable to move in or out.

No formal statement was immediately issued by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, the Uganda Police Force or the Uganda Communications Commission. Neither NMG Uganda nor the authorities indicated how long the enforced blackout would last. NMG Uganda had not released an official statement by the time of publication.

State targeting of NMG Uganda is not new. In May 2013, police raided the Daily Monitor and Dembe FM over publication of a letter alleging senior officials were linked to a succession plan known as the “Muhoozi Project.” The premises were sealed for more than a week.

In February 2007, months after NTV Uganda launched, the government forced it off air, accusing it of negative coverage. President Museveni has over the years repeatedly criticised the Daily Monitor, once calling it an “enemy and evil newspaper.”

Despite past confrontations, NMG Uganda has maintained its commitment to independent journalism, calling itself “Uganda’s Bold Voice” ahead of the disputed January 2026 presidential elections. Previous raids drew broad condemnation from local and international media freedom organisations and rights groups.

Nation Media Group is the largest independent media house in East and Central Africa, with operations in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda.

It is listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange, the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange, the Uganda Securities Exchange and the Rwanda Stock Exchange.