Museveni plays hide and seek as NBS, NTV seek meeting over coverage ban

President Museveni has repeatedly declined to meet with senior executives from NBS TV and Nation Media to address the ongoing standoff caused by security agencies barring their journalists from covering state events,Bbeg Media has been told.

Impeccable sources told us that for weeks, Kin Kariisa, CEO of Next Media Services, and other senior executives from Nation Media Group (Uganda) have sought a meeting with the president to resolve the issue, but their efforts have been thwarted.

“State House officials keep rescheduling the meetings, citing the president’s busy schedule,” a source revealed.

We understand that an initial meeting planned for early May did not take place, and a subsequent one scheduled for late May was also cancelled due to Museveni’s commitments.

Kariisa and Nation Media executives have reportedly lobbied senior government officials to secure the meeting, but with little success.

Journalists from NBS TV, NTV, and Daily Monitor were recently denied access to the State of the Nation Address and were also barred from covering Heroes Day celebrations in Lyantonde today (June 9, 2025).

Journalists from NBS TV, Daily Monitor, and NTV denied access to State of the Nation Address

In response, some outlets, such as NBS TV, have opted to cover these events remotely, using live feeds from UBC and Parliament’s channel (for SONA). NTV, however, has chosen not to cover the events, sticking to regular programming instead.

Press freedom and human rights advocates have expressed concern, calling this a worrying trend for media freedom and the public’s right to information.

“The aim is to negotiate a resolution and regain access to cover government events, which are essential for public information and democratic accountability,” said an individual familiar with the media organizations’ efforts.

The move to bar journalists from NBS TV, NTV and Daily Monitor is widely seen as retaliation for these outlets’ reporting on security force brutality during the Kawempe North by-election in March 2025.

During the by-election, NBS TV journalists Francis Isano, Hassan Wasswa, and Hakim Wampamba, along with reporters from NTV and Daily Monitor, faced assault, detention, and intimidation by security personnel, prompting these media houses to pull their reporters from the field for safety.

Daily Monitor, NBS withdraw journalists from Kawempe as violence increases

Meanwhile, government-affiliated outlets such as UBC, New Vision, and Bukedde TV, as well as certain privately owned media, continue to enjoy access to state events.