Uganda army chief shuts down leading independent media group

Uganda’s leading independent media group said it was under “military siege” on Sunday after the army chief ordered the shutdown of its newspapers, TV station and radio outlets.

“NTV and Moniter (sic) are being shut down from today!” Muhoozi Kainerugaba, son of President Yoweri Museveni, wrote on X, referring to NTV Uganda and the Daily Monitor, both part of the Nation Media Group.

The Daily Monitor said on X that it was under “military siege”, with armed soldiers on guard outside its offices in the capital Kampala.

Its other outlets, including Dembe FM, Spark TV, KFM, and The East African, were also affected.

“In Uganda, I DO NOT believe in a free press! The press should be guided by cadres of the revolution,” Kainerugaba said.

“Both NTV and Moniter (sic) will not re-open without my permission… From now on ALL media in Uganda will follow the rules!”