KAMPALA, Uganda — In a major blow to media freedom, the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Senior Presidential Advisor on Special Operations, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, announced the immediate shutdown of Uganda’s leading independent media outlets, NTV Uganda and the Daily Monitor.
The sweeping directive, issued early Sunday morning, was accompanied by a blunt rejection of press freedom by the military chief.
Immediate Closures Enforced
Gen. Muhoozi stated that the decision to shutter the prominent Nation Media Group (NMG) subsidiaries had received the highest backing in the country.
“Mzee has approved my plan to close both NTV and Monitor. We are moving immediately!” Gen. Muhoozi announced, referring to his father, President Yoweri Museveni. He followed up shortly after with a definitive decree: “NTV and Moniter are being shut down from today!”
He further warned that the closures are indefinite, adding, “Both NTV and Moniter will not re-open without my permission.”
“Guided by Cadres of the Revolution”
The military commander did not mask the ideological motivations behind the crackdown, openly challenging the constitutional right to a free press in Uganda.
“In Uganda, I DO NOT believe in a free press! The press should be guided by cadres of the revolution,” Gen. Muhoozi declared.
In a subsequent statement, he outlined a new reality for the country’s media landscape, asserting that independent reporting would no longer be tolerated. “From now on ALL bad stories about Uganda have to be cleared by my office!” he wrote, later adding, “From now on ALL media in Uganda will follow the rules!”
A Growing Media Crisis
The sudden enforcement against NTV Uganda and the Daily Monitor—two of the most widely consumed and respected independent news sources in East Africa—marks an unprecedented escalation in the state’s relationship with the press.
Local journalists, rights bodies, and international press freedom advocates have frequently raised concerns over the shrinking democratic space and the harassment of media practitioners in Uganda. However, the explicit, public dismantling of major media institutions by the head of the military signals a drastic shift toward total information control.
As of Sunday morning, security forces were reportedly moving to execute the directives. Representatives from NTV Uganda and the Daily Monitor have yet to release formal statements regarding the operational status of their broadcast and print platforms.
