Next Media has suspended Adam Kungu, the host of The Barometer talk show, following a heated show between two guests on February 2, which the Naguru-based media organisation said breached minimum broadcasting standards set by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC).
In a letter dated February 4, 2026, which Bbeg Media has seen, Dalton Kaweesa, Head of Current Affairs, said the show breached editorial guidelines of the organisation and that Kungu failed to take charge when MP-elects Justine Nameere of Masaka City and Ali Mulyanyama of Makindye East exchanged personal insults live on set.
“As the host of ‘The Barometer,’ a flagship national political Programme reaching an estimated audience of over 13 million viewers across TV and digital platforms, you bear primary responsibility for the direction, tone, and control of the live broadcast. The producer and production team share in this responsibility,” the letter noted.
In that heated show, Mulyanyama questioned Nameere’s mental state while the latter claimed the Makindye East MP-elect had forged documents to aid his nomination.
Next Media says by allowing unverified and damaging allegations to be aired without challenge and substantiation, the show “devolved into a personal feud and that the language used was offensive, demeaning, and contrary to accepted public morality.”
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For now, the station said that it is conducting an investigation and that Kungu and Ibanda will be required to explain why they failed to enforce editorial controls during the show.
“The Barometer must be a platform for informed, dignified, and substantive national discourse, not a theatre of insults. Compliance with our Editorial Guidelines and UCC Standards is non-negotiable,” Kaweesa’s letter noted.
Kungu joined Next Media in November 2023 from Baba TV, where he had been the host of the morning show. He settled in comfortably as the host of Morning Xpress on Sanyuka TV, and last year, he was recognised as one of the best employees at Next Media.
He replaced Zambaali Bulusio Mukasa, who left to join politics, as host of The Barometer and NBS Eagle last year.
