The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has called for talks with the government after Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the CDF, ordered the shutdown of Nation Media Group in Uganda.
Muhoozi’s orders led to the closure of NTV Uganda, Spark TV, and Daily Monitor, a decision some press freedom advocates are calling one of the most serious attacks on independent media in Uganda’s history.
NTV Uganda and Spark TV were forced off air by 5 am on Sunday after an overnight security crackdown at Nation Media Group Uganda premises in Namuwongo and Kampala Serena Hotel.
In a post published at 1:07 am on his X handle, Gen Muhoozi wrote: “NTV and Monitor are being shut down from today!”
He later added, “Both NTV and Monitor will not reopen without my permission.”
In another post, he stated: “In Uganda, I DO NOT believe in a free press! The press should be guided by cadres of the revolution.”
He also claimed that his father, President Museveni, had approved the move.
NAB, in a statement issued on Sunday, said it was closely monitoring the situation and was reaching out to the Ministry of ICT, the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) and Gen Muhoozi to seek clarity and an amicable resolution.
“We are deeply concerned about this action and its impact on the media ecosystem and the rights enshrined under the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda,” the NAB said in its statement.
The security deployment at NMG offices in Uganda followed a series of online posts in which Gen Muhoozi accused NTV Uganda and the Daily Monitor of persistently insulting him and President Museveni.
At NMG’s Namuwongo headquarters, where the Daily Monitor, 90.4 Dembe FM, and 93.3 KFM operate, some staff members who reported early were blocked from entering the premises by security personnel.
NTV Uganda had aired several news features and documentaries examining the tenure of Gen Muhoozi as Chief of Defence Forces.
The stories revisited controversial episodes from his military career, his public statements on social media, and long-running debates surrounding governance, human rights, and Uganda’s political future.
“I’m coming for the last few idiots who do not know how life evolves…they tortured me as a young boy. Now they will understand what torture means!” Muhoozi wrote in one of the posts on X.
Today’s shutdown is not the first time the government has moved against NMG.
In February 2007, barely two months after NTV Uganda launched in December 2006, it was forced off air by the government following accusations that its news coverage was negative.
In May 2013, police raided the Daily Monitor and Dembe FM over the publication of Gen David Sejusa’s letter allegedly linking senior government officials to a succession plan dubbed the “Muhoozi Project.”
Over the years, President Museveni has also repeatedly criticised the Daily Monitor, at one point referring to it as an “enemy and evil newspaper” over its critical journalism.
In recent months, his son, Gen Muhoozi, has asserted control, ordering the arrests of politicians and activists and now a media shutdown.
What happens to press freedom?
The closure raises serious constitutional questions. Article 29 of the 1995 Constitution guarantees freedom of expression and of the press.
Using soldiers to shut down a media house without any court order or decision by the UCC represents a departure from the legal procedures ordinarily required to withdraw a broadcaster’s licence or shut down its operations.
Gen Muhoozi has made his position clear. He insisted on X that the NMG outlets “will not reopen without my permission.”
Even more worrying about today’s events is that more than 500 NMG employees in Uganda face an uncertain future.
