KAMPALA, Uganda – Moments after ordering an overnight military siege shutting down the Nation Media Group outlets, Uganda’s First Son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, appears not done with the media houses operating in the country.
Early Sunday, June 28, 2026, armed security forces and military personnel barricaded the Nation Media Group offices in Namuwongo, Kampala, shutting down NTV Uganda, Spark TV and the country’s largest independent newspaper, the Daily Monitor.
Additionally, radio networks, including Dembe FM and KFM, ceased operations after they were forced off the air.
In a series of tweets before the crackdown on the media house, Muhoozi stated that he had been authorised by his father, President Yoweri Museveni, to close down the stations. Muhoozi indicated that NTV and Daily Monitor are closed for good!
“Mzee has approved my plan to close both NTV and Monitor. We are moving immediately! NTV and Monitor are being shut down from today!” said Muhoozi.
Muhoozi trails his guns on other media houses
Taking on his official X account (formerly Twitter), Muhoozi, Museveni’s military son, announced that the stations will not reopen without his permission.
“They wake up and realise my threats were real all along. Both NTV and Moniter will not reopen without my permission,” posted Muhoozi.
Following the closure of the NMG news outlets, Muhoozi turned his guns on the Ugandan media houses, claiming that he has the power in Uganda to shut down any media house he wants to.
“In Uganda, I do not believe in a free press! The press should be guided by cadres of the revolution. From now on, all media in Uganda will follow the rules! From now on, all bad stories about Uganda have to be cleared by my office!” Muhoozi further wrote.
According to him, he has had this power since 2017.
“This power was given to me by my great father, President @KagutaMuseveni. NTV and Daily Monitor are learning about it today,” stated Muhoozi.
NMG Ugandan outlets’ coverage of Museveni
He did not give specific reasons for closing the media outlets, both of which are owned by Nation Media Group (NMG), a media conglomerate headquartered in Kenya and listed on the Nairobi stock exchange.
However, the military deployment followed a series of posts on X by Muhoozi in which he declared that NTV Uganda and Daily Monitor would be shut down amid a long-term ban from covering President Museveni, who is serving his seventh term in office following his re-election in January 2026.
The Daily Monitor reported on Sunday that military personnel had been deployed at NMG’s premises in the capital, Kampala, and that staff were being prevented from leaving or entering the premises.
Over the years, Museveni has also repeatedly criticised the Daily Monitor, at one point referring to it as an “enemy and evil newspaper” over what appears to be its critical journalism.
In February 2025, Muhoozi, who is well-known to Ugandans for his incendiary social media posts, announced plans to regulate the country’s media content.
Muhoozi announces plans to audit media outlets
On Sunday, February 23, 2025, Muhoozi announced on his official X account that his office would ‘soon’ begin to audit all media houses.
He delegated the matter to Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi, the then minister of state for youth and children’s affairs.
Muhoozi, who doesn’t shy away from controversy, especially on social media, doubles up as Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces (UPDF) and Senior Presidential Advisor on Special Operations (SPA/SO).
“My office will soon begin an audit on all media houses. These are the instructions of the Commander-in-Chief. All of you will report to my office from now!” Muhoozi posted.
He further invited all media managing directors in the East African nation to his office for more instructions.
“The meeting will be on Thursday, February 27, 2025. You are all encouraged to attend,” Muhoozi said.
Freddy Kamukama reacts to Muhoozi’s actions
According to Muhoozi, his office was organising a cadre course for all the managing directors of the country’s media houses, saying that “it will be a good one”.
“My office will not license any MD and probably his/her deputy who does not attend the cadre course,” warned the general.
When reached for comment, Muhoozi’s close ally, Freddy Kamukama, told news9.africa that the First Son was not out to silence the media.
According to Kamukama, Muhoozi’s move stems from the fact that Uganda lacks professionals in the media sector, unlike its East African counterparts.
“You find that someone just wakes up in the morning and brands themselves as media practitioners without proper training. All they want is to make quick money through online comments and likes,” lamented Kamukama.
Muhoozi’s expectations of the Ugandan media
Kamukama, who doubles up as a member of Muhoozi’s Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) party, observed that some individuals were misusing the press freedom in the country to soil its reputation.
“These are the same people who end up tarnishing our country’s image because they are not professionals. Through this cadre course that might take two weeks, media practitioners will be taught how to love their country and be patriotic,” added Kamukama.
Kamukama also indicated that a country cannot prosper if the media portrays its image in a negative way.
“As a country, we don’t want to get to a point where we are going to chase our investors because that will be a big blow to our thriving economy,” he stated.
NMG outlets’ reopening plans lie in limbo
He reiterated that there is a need for the media to highlight the government’s programs that continue to empower millions of Ugandans.
“President Museveni rolled out the Parish Development Model (PDM), which is a Ugandan government strategy to improve households’ incomes and welfare. The media needs to go out and show the world how this initiative is empowering our people,” Kamukama further said.
Meanwhile, the duration of the state-owned blackout and the actions that NMG Uganda, which employs more than 500 people in the country, will take are still unknown.
State agents have already targeted NMG Uganda operations in the past.
Police raided Dembe FM and the Daily Monitor in May 2013 after a letter purportedly linking top government officials to a succession scheme known as the “Muhoozi Project” was published.
Before the outlets were permitted to reopen after signing police search certificates and other paperwork, the property was shut for over a week.
Discussion about this post